Demon Hunters Chupacabra
by JillRJohnson
Summary: The sequel to Demon HUnters - Loup Garou. Piper, Phoebe, and Paige pick up the pieces after the trauma and drama of the Bayou. They find themselves battling more than just a winged creature in Miami and trying to put their lives back together.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** This story is number two in the series, Demon Hunters. Part one was called Loup Garou. So please read that one before you read this one. Trust me it will help. This story and these Charmed Ones are darker, rough around the edges, but they still have soul. If you read Loup Garou, you'll know why they are as bad-arse as they are. Again…a hint…read Loup Garou.

**Another Note:** If you own the Daredevil Soundtrack then you'll know that a lot of songs in this fic are taken from that soundtrack.

**Disclaimer:** You know I don't own them so is this even necessary?

DEMON HUNTERS: CHUPACABRA

Bring me to Life  
[Song by Evanescence]

_how can you see into my eyes like open doors  
leading you down into my core  
where I've become so numb  
Without a soul  
My spirit sleeping somewhere cold  
until you find it there and lead it back home _

Phoebe Halliwell thought about everything that had occurred in the previous two months. It had all happened so fast that she still hadn't processed it completely. All she knew, she thought, as she felt the bitterness rise in her heart, was that she, Piper, and Paige had lost everything but each other. And as she looked at Paige, who had still not uttered a word since they had found Leo dead in the manor, she wondered if she was even part of the sisterhood anymore.

She looked to the kitchen window. They did at least have one of those. She couldn't see Piper through the dirty screen, but she knew that Piper was there, watching over Paige. They had been so close to losing her, to losing each other that Piper couldn't bear to be away from Paige for more than a few seconds at a time. They even shared a bedroom, leaving Phoebe with a room all to herself. Phoebe sometimes felt as though she was being selfish, but at times, she wanted the attention of her big sister, too.

She shook her head at the thought, scolding herself silently. She knew the things Paige had been through, she had seen it several times in premonitions, although she hadn't revealed that fact to Piper or Paige.

_Wake me up inside  
wake me up inside  
call my name and save me from the dark  
bid my blood to run  
before I come undone  
save me from the nothing I've become_

Phoebe watched Paige's every motion. Sweat dripped from each of their brows as the Miami sun burnt into their skin. Even in late November Miami was warm, if not sultry. The three of them had begun to workout, to get stronger, from the day they had arrived in the trailer park. Phoebe spared a glance to the rundown trailer that served as their backdrop. Phoebe guessed that the color had once been dark green, but it was sun-faded and worn. She mentally rolled her eyes at their existence. They had gone from a three-bedroom manor in San Francisco to a two-bedroom, one bath trailer in a bad section of Miami. Phoebe couldn't even understand half of what the people they had met said, because she didn't know Spanish.

She wiped her face on a towel that was sitting next to her on the picnic table. It wasn't their table, it was a community table, but it was close enough to their backdoor that Phoebe always sat on it while instructing Paige in hand-to-hand combat. She drank a sip of bottled water. She smirked at the thought. It had once been bottled spring water, but Phoebe refilled it using the mediocre tap water from their kitchen.

_now that I know what I'm without  
you can't just leave me  
breathe into me and make me real  
bring me to life_

Paige kicked, punched, slapped, backhanded, kneed, and pummeled the punching bag that hung from an unused swing-set pole in their current backyard. Phoebe noticed that Paige was tired, and that made her want to push the youngest Halliwell that much harder, because next time Paige might not have her sisters to help her. Phoebe wanted Paige to be responsible for herself, to not depend so much on Piper. She wished Paige would instead lean on her a little. In all honesty, Phoebe was feeling useless.

_wake me up inside  
wake me up inside  
call my name and save me from the dark  
bid my blood to run  
before I come undone  
save me from the nothing I've become  
bring me to life_

She slid off the picnic table and stepped to where Paige was delivering a sidekick to the black bag. The chains tethering it to the swing set rattled with the sharp blow. Phoebe laid a hand on Paige's shoulder swinging her roughly around so that they were face to face.

"Paige? How in the hell are you going to fend off an attacker when your kicks are so low?"

Phoebe didn't know why she felt the need to ask Paige questions, knowing that the copper-haired girl was unable to verbally answer her. Paige shrugged with a look of apology. Phoebe's guard was up though and so was her temper.

"Look, get your foot higher on the chest, you're more likely to break someone's sternum that way. Got it?"

Phoebe couldn't stop herself from sounding upset. She was on the edge of her threshold. She was tired of thinking, of protecting, of having visions she was never meant to have. And as if on cue at that moment a black and white image seized her fuming mind. It was yet another quick image of Paige, bleeding, hurt, held down.

She blinked the image away and looked at Paige. She knew that Paige was worried about her. No matter what Paige didn't say verbally, she screamed it through her eyes. Paige reached out to touch Phoebe's shoulder, but Phoebe jerked it away. Grabbing her sparring gloves from the picnic table and putting them on, Phoebe squared off against Paige. The youngest blinked several times before shrugging. She wasn't sure what Phoebe wanted.

"Do I have to spell it out for you?" Phoebe was beyond frustrated and Paige was about to take the brunt of her wrath.

Paige nodded and smiled, not ready to get in a confrontation with the middle sister.

"Come on Paige. You and me. Don't hold back because I'm not going to. We're going to fight and we'll see if you have what it takes to survive."

Phoebe could read Paige's expression. She knew that those words had hurt her baby sister. Paige had survived more than Phoebe ever had. And somewhere Phoebe resented the fact that Paige needed her and Piper so much despite what she had already survived.

"Fine. You don't want to spar, I'll take the first punch and you'll have to either defend yourself or get beat up."

Paige looked worried now. She turned her back away from Phoebe and when she did Phoebe pushed her to the ground. Paige rolled over quickly. Phoebe hated herself. Paige's hands were scraped from the rocky dirt. She wasn't wearing sparring gloves. As Phoebe stood over her, looking powerful and pissed off illuminated by the orange and pink sunset, Paige finally responded. She pulled an unexpected sweep kick and knocked Phoebe's feet out from under her. Phoebe fell with a thud to the ground.

"Good!" Phoebe said loudly as she scrambled to her feet. "Now we're talking."

Paige had some idea of what was really bothering Phoebe, but she couldn't understand why Phoebe was taking it out on her. She quickly side-ducked a full-powered jab that was aimed for her nose. She countered with a backhand to Phoebe's upper arm. She intentionally missed the side of Phoebe's head, not wanting to really cause Phoebe any pain.

"Damn it, Paige! Stop holding back. Go for it, you got me?" Phoebe yelled as she jump kicked and nailed Paige in the stomach with her foot.

Paige stumbled back in breathlessness and saw Phoebe coming at her with a roundhouse. Somehow, Paige recovered quickly and caught Phoebe's foot mid-air throwing Phoebe over in a flip. The middle sister landed with a smack on the rocky dirt. She quickly flipped herself off the ground and wiping her face with her arm she smiled at Paige, but not in a way that Paige deemed friendly. It was more of a smile of someone who was finally getting to take her anger out on someone.

_frozen inside without your touch  
Without your love darling  
Only you are the life among the dead_

Paige wanted to say something to Phoebe, ask her to talk to her, to stop hiding behind rude remarks, and bitter comments. To stop sneaking out in the middle of the night to go clubbing. She wanted Phoebe to know that she knew about that and hadn't clued in Piper. But her voice wouldn't work. Visions of Leo, dead in the manor flipped through her mind. Flashes of Piper's scarred forehead, their burning home, Phoebe's sad eyes suddenly grabbed Paige's heart and squeezed it until all she could see was the rage within. She knew she was just as angry if not more so than Phoebe.

She pushed her fist into the air in a full-blown punch, hitting Phoebe squarely in the face. Phoebe had seen the punch coming and knew that she had no time to dodge it. The best she could do was to turn her head. She felt the sting of a cut and realized that Paige had gotten her on the eye. She lashed back with an upper cut, nailing Paige in the jaw.

They were so mesmerized by taking their anger out on one another that they never heard Piper coming out of the trailer in a mad dash. She came between Phoebe and Paige grabbing them each by their clothing, which for Phoebe was nothing but a sports bra and some spandex shorts. Paige was dressed more conservatively in a t-shirt and jogging pants. When they finally stopped trying to get at one another, Piper let them both go.

"What in the hell is going on? I quit watching you two for one second. One damn second and when I turn back around you two are beating the crap out of each other?"

Paige looked at the ground, ashamed of her anger. Phoebe's stare on the other hand burned a hole in Piper's heart. It was cold, lonely, hurt. Piper was surprised that she hadn't seen the pain in Phoebe sooner. She touched the bloody tear by Phoebe's eye only to have Phoebe pull away. Looking at Paige gently rubbing her jaw, she knew that both of her sisters would have bruises.

"This is freaking ridiculous. You aren't teenagers. We have enough demons to face without having to pummel each other," she waited for a response but wasn't surprised when she was met by silence. "Phoebe? Say something?"

"Why do I have to say something?"

"Because Paige can't speak," Piper growled at Phoebe, completely aware of the hostility in the middle sister's tone.

Piper looked at Paige apologetically. Paige simply shrugged, brushing off the non-verbal apology indicating to Piper that it had not hurt her feelings. She looked to Phoebe who glared at her with an intensity Paige had never seen before. It stung her heart and she wondered if Phoebe really didn't like her anymore. She felt childish thinking of it in that way, but she couldn't help the way Phoebe was making her feel.

_frozen inside without your touch  
without your love darling only  
you are the life among the dead_

Phoebe held her eyes so that they peered directly into the amber eyes of her younger sister. She noticed that Paige flinched and her eyes flickered as though she had just realized something. Phoebe was surprised to see a tear falling onto Paige's reddened cheek. Phoebe's muscles softened in regret. She looked to Piper and Paige, uttered an apology and ran into the house.

They watched Phoebe storm away and both jumped at the sound of the door slamming shut. Paige knew that Phoebe was getting a shower and would be hitting some clubs. She felt Piper's arm link into hers. She leaned her head on Piper's shoulder, savoring the comfort. She knew she had been taking comfort in Piper too much since they had battled and almost lost their lives to the Loup Garou, since she had been attacked in the swamps of New Orleans.

"Let's go get some ice on your chin…it's going to bruise," Piper said softly.

Paige nodded and followed Piper into the house. She knew why they were in Miami. She knew what their mission was. What she didn't know was why they were still without their powers, why Phoebe hated her so much, and why she still couldn't speak. She knew it all boiled down to one thing. None of them had dealt with the previous two months.

She heard the shower running as she sat down on a barstool at the small kitchen counter. Piper smiled at her as she poured her some milk.

"Whatever's wrong with Phoebe, Paige, it doesn't really have anything to do with you."

Paige nodded without smiling. She sipped her milk while Piper fixed an ice pack. Paige wrinkled her nose at the smell of the trailer. She couldn't get used to the scent of mold and mildew. She shook her head thinking about Phoebe and the way she had looked at her. Despite herself Paige began to cry. Tears free-flowed down her still reddened cheeks. Hopping down from the barstool, Paige ran to the bedroom she shared with Piper and slammed the door.

Piper let out the air she had been holding. She was beyond frustrated. Losing everything they had, including their powers, their possessions, their communication to the afterlife, it wasn't enough, Piper thought, as she emptied Paige's glass into the sink. Destiny wasn't on their side any more. Piper could feel the link still missing between them and the world of magic. Everything they now did, every step they took, it was all as mere mortals.

But Piper knew better. She knew that to conquer each task they were led to, to survive it together would have a rewarding outcome. That's why they were in Miami, she thought, to conquer their latest mystery. That of the Chupacabra. A vicious legend, never proven to exist, but Piper knew that where there was a legend there was a reality.

A slamming door interrupted her thoughts. Phoebe had gone from the bathroom to her room. Piper looked down at the worn out linoleum floor of the kitchen. Whispering to herself she looked at the picture of the three of them that Paige had drawn not more than two weeks ago, "Before we hunt down the monster, we have to slay our personal demons."

She smiled toward the ceiling hoping somewhere Leo was watching, hoping that someday she'd get to see him, to say goodbye to him. She heard another door slam and watched in silence as Phoebe stormed through the living room, grabbed the car keys and left through the front door.

Piper could hear their baby blue Plymouth Fury crank to life in the gravel driveway. She got to the porch in time to see the taillights hidden amongst a trail of dust. She shook her head wearily, not sure if she was ready for the long road ahead.

_all this time I can't believe I couldn't see  
kept in the dark but you were there in front of me  
I've been sleeping a thousand years it seems  
got to open my eyes to everything  
without a thought without a voice without a soul  
don't let me die here  
there must be something more  
bring me to life_


	2. Chapter 2

Won't Back Down  
[Song by Fuel]

_I know what darkness means  
(and the point to run from me)  
the isolation stings  
(so thick it wants to bleed)  
the echoes in my brain  
(all the things you said to me)  
you took my everything  
Now I'm coming for you_

Phoebe leaned her head back. She tilted the brown bottle up and the last of the cold beer slid into her throat quenching her Miami-sized thirst. Her leather-pants hugged every inch of her perfect legs. Her shirt, a plain, white tank top, showed the people around her that she was not shy about who she was. She half-hoped Cole would appear and take her to a place where the darkness would become familiar, but she knew that if they were off the Elders' radar, then they were off Cole's as well. She almost missed him.

She looked around the club. There were a variety of people crowded into the rather large punk club. A softer tune, as the bartender had called it, was playing on the speaker system. Sultry sounds floated across the thickly populated dance floor and settled in Phoebe's ears. She recognized the band as Fuel. She could feel her head begin to move to the music, her heart slowly pumping blood through her body.

She was on a mission. Had either of her sisters bothered to ask, or notice, why she had been out every night until the wee hours of the morning, they would know that she was doing field research. It was in the punk clubs, the Goth scene, where talk of the mythical chupacabra was most prevalent.

She sat the empty beer bottle on the bar and walked into the meandering crowd of twenty-something dancers. She saw a group of three men her age talking with two women on the dance floor. She headed straight toward them with a smile.

They looked up at her and the largest of the three men nodded toward a side exit. She followed all five of the darkly dressed people outside. The night was no cooler than the day. She could feel her heart racing as she looked around at the group. The men sported clean-shaven heads and had piercings around their earlobes and a few in their eyebrows. She knew that the man with the nose ring was Tommy, the one with two piercings in the left eyebrow was Harrison, and the one with three rings in the right eyebrow was Jack.

She also knew the women, Lorna and Tonya. Lorna, she recalled, was the one with longer black hair, Tonya had chin length black hair. Phoebe visualized herself rolling her eyes. If she didn't know for a fact that these five people had seen one of the chupacabras that she, Piper, and Paige were looking for, she wouldn't be at the punk club. She'd be at home reading with her sisters, perhaps grilling a steak.

_I won't back down  
I will not bow  
I've come to bring you hell  
and I can't forget  
things you did  
I've come to bring you hell_

Phoebe shook off the thought of steaks, realizing how hungry she was. She returned her attention to the punks around her.

"So? We going hunting or what?" she kept her voice low and sultry. She liked acting like a bad ass, but she feared that without Piper and Paige she might end up in over her head.

Lorna stepped up and her voice proved that she was the genuine leader of the group, "You got protection?"

Phoebe smirked and walked to the Fury in the parking lot. The five followed her, intrigued by the brown-eyed woman. Phoebe reached into the backseat of the Fury, flipped back a wool blanket and brought up a polished well-crafted crossbow.

"Think this'll work?"

The men stepped back as Lorna and Tonya smiled at one another, happy to see another woman in charge.

Tonya's voice held no authority, "Know how to use that thing?"

"Of course," Phoebe said flippantly.

"You follow us," Tommy said as he walked toward three motorcycles. The men hopped on them. Tonya slid onto the back of Harrison's bike, and Lorna slid confidently onto Tommy's.

Phoebe grinned. She knew she was getting close. "And then," she thought as she started the Fury and pulled out of the parking lot after the motorcycles, "we can maybe move somewhere less warm."

_The shadow that you see  
(in the places that you sleep)  
are memories of me  
(you better pray a soul to keep)  
the truth behind you eyes  
(you know the things you never see)  
your darkest little lies  
(I'm coming for you)_

Phoebe felt no apprehension as she jerked the gearshift into park and then jumped out of the convertible without opening the door. She glanced at her watch and realized that it was already 2am. But she wasn't tired. She wasn't even remotely bored. She was actually excited by the prospect of killing a demon.

"This way," Jack said as he smiled and pointed toward the woods.

Phoebe mulled over what little she knew about the Chupacabra. She knew that their method of killing was through bite marks in the neck, much like the Vampire, but these things were creatures, not the living dead. Crude drawings online depicted a reptilian-like creature with furry scales and sharp fangs. Its eyes were wide, bulging and red. Phoebe had laughed when she first saw the drawings of the creature online. Then as she had begun to hear stories from the area club-goers about how their friends had been mauled and mutilated, she was less amused.

She steadied the crossbow in her hand, looking around the woods. Her heart saddened as the image of a swamp burst into her mind, followed by a vision of her screaming, mostly naked, baby sister. She swallowed hard and shut her eyes hoping to push the living nightmare from her mind. Poor Paige, she thought fleetingly, before looking up. She had realized that her companions had stopped abruptly.

She looked first to Tonya and then to Lorna. The girls were smiling malevolently. Phoebe's heart shuddered when she looked at the ground that surrounded her feet. She was stopped dead still in the middle of a candle-lit pentagram. Phoebe knew it wasn't a good sign. Before she could bring her crossbow up to defend herself, Jack smacked it from her hands.

She watched as each of the five took his or her place at a point of the pentagram. She knew a ritual when she saw one and this one didn't look good.

"What are you doing?" Phoebe asked not dropping her badass tone.

"We're offering you to the goatsucker," Harrison said, his tone dripping in arrogance.

Phoebe rolled her eyes, "You don't even know what magic is, you freaks."

She turned to walk away from the group but was stopped by the sound of a simple click of metal. She turned slowly and realized she was face to face with a handgun. Its hammer had been pulled back. Phoebe stared down the short barrel of the gun and found herself in a staring contest with Lorna.

"We don't like to be called freaks. Get back in the middle."

"Or what?" Phoebe spat out.

"Or I will blow your brains out all over the place."

_I won't back down  
I will not bow  
I've come to bring you hell  
And I can't forget things you did  
I've come to bring you hell_

Phoebe was about to tell her to try her best but her self-destructive comment was cut short when a high pitch squeal pierced the otherwise still night. All six of them turned at the same time to face whatever was high in the trees. As Lorna turned also, Phoebe made a play for the gun. Shoving it to the side with her left hand she knuckle-punched Lorna in the throat with her right hand. Lorna turned blue from the pain and dropped to her knees.

Before Phoebe could get control of the gun that was now lying on the ground, Tommy pushed her down. As he sneered at her and bent over to pick up the gun a small winged creature appeared from the darkness of night. It swooped down into Tommy, and as though it was carrying tissue paper, it lifted him off the ground. Phoebe watched in horror as the creature continued to emit its shrill screech, dropped Tommy on the ground forty feet from them, and began to attack his limp body.

It was too dark for Phoebe to make out the features of the beast but she could tell that it was nasty whatever it was. Nasty and strong. She quickly recovered her crossbow, which Jack had dropped on the ground in the process of running away from the gruesome scene. She leveled it to aim at the creature, but before she could get an arrow loaded and ready, the creature had stopped screeching and was looking straight at Phoebe.

Phoebe lowered the crossbow and returned the creatures gaze. Eyes that seemed to glow red, did not remove themselves from Phoebe. As she wished for Piper and Paige, the chupacabra began to speed in her direction. It was moving so fast that Phoebe wasn't sure what to do. All she could hear was her voice saying, "Oh, Sh…"************************

"It isn't going to get any better unless we confront her, talk to her," Piper said as she glanced at the clock noting that it was almost 3:30am. She looked at Paige who rolled her eyes and shrugged her shoulders while making an annoyed gesture with her hands.

"I know YOU can't talk to her. I just meant that you've got to try to back me up here, you know."

Paige smiled and nodded her head. Her copper hair shined even in the small nightlight in their room. Paige had been embarrassed when Piper had suggested they get it for those extra difficult nights when Paige woke up clawing at the air and struggling for breath. Piper was always there for Paige, but she often wondered how Paige would cope if she were not.

Piper leaned back into her pillow worried about the middle sister. She knew Phoebe was going through something that she and Paige hadn't noticed soon enough, but then again, they were all going through something. Piper sighed sadly as she looked at Paige, who had snuggled down in the covers and had them pulled to her chin.

Piper let her hand smooth over the few strands of hair sticking up on her little sister's head. The light was bright enough to see Paige's features, but dim enough to cast shadows upon her small frame. Piper continued to stare at Paige thinking of a night over two months earlier when she had first woken to a phone call in the middle of the night and realized that Paige had snuck into her bed searching for comfort by merely being in her presence.

And she remembered Phoebe, on the phone that night, frantic, worried about Paige. Piper's heart sank. She knew that Phoebe cared as much about Paige as she did, but Phoebe was having a hard time coping with the attention that Piper felt she needed to give to Paige. She lifted her hand off the youngest sister's head and burrowed into her pillow.

She let her busy mind drift to the swamps of New Orleans. Her hand floated involuntarily to the faint, but deep scar on her forehead. It wasn't an ugly scar but it was a reminder of something ugly. Something she was trying to figure out how to atone for. It was a reminder of when their powers failed, when their magic left them, and when she had failed to save Paige. And then Piper realized that she had lost some part of Phoebe that night as well.

_All the scars that will not heal  
All the wounds that will not seal  
I will not forget the days  
Theses memories never fall_

She struggled with that thought for another thirty minutes before falling into a restless, image-driven sleep. She couldn't have been asleep long when she heard her name whispered softly in the pseudo-darkness. She quickly, on instinct, reached for Paige. She was more than surprised to find that Paige was out cold. Still slumbering even though as Piper looked closer she could tell Paige was in the midst of a bad dream.

And then it occurred to her, her name had been spoken aloud. And then the voice that had spoken came again, interrupting her suddenly rapid breathing. The sound was coming from the living room. Piper glanced at Paige one more time before picking up the shotgun next to the bed and moving forward, cautiously toward the bedroom door.

_I won't back down  
I will not bow  
And I can't forget  
things you did  
I've come to bring you hell_

She came slowly out of the bedroom expecting trouble, wanting trouble. Her heart was open for Phoebe and Paige, but the rest of her soul was just as scarred as her forehead. As she gained full sight of the living room, she realized that the front door was wide open and that there was a body lying in a heap on the threshold.

At first all she could make out was the red tank top. However, as she reached behind her and flipped the light switch she could tell that the shirt wasn't red, but rather it was soaked in blood, fresh blood. And then recognition collided with panic as she heard her name whispered again. She rushed to the doorway and quickly turned the body over.

"Oh God! Phoebe, what happened?"

Phoebe was trembling in Piper's arms. Her injuries were deep and fluid. Piper quickly cast her eyes over Phoebe's tattered arms and then quickly ran to her and Paige's room. Paige woke with a start and flew out of the bed as soon as she saw Piper's face. Piper ripped the pillowcases off their pillows and ran back to Phoebe's side. Paige was on her heels. When they got back to Phoebe, she was sitting up at the door, propped against the frame.

"I saw it," she said breathlessly.

Paige raised her eyebrows and inspected Phoebe's arms. She knew that none of the injuries were fatal with the exception of blood loss, but as Piper wrapped the cotton pillowcases tightly against Phoebe's skin, the bleeding seemed to dissipate.

"Saw it? Jesus Christ Phoebe, you were mauled by the damn thing," Piper hissed.

Phoebe tried to smile but the sting of the slices in her arm only made her grimace. She looked at Paige who looked at her with tears in her eyes. Phoebe felt more love in that half second glance than she had the entire time they had been in Miami.

She winked at Paige, "You could have taken him though, huh?"

Paige raised one eyebrow and shook her finger at Phoebe.

Piper let out a small laugh, "Smart asses."

She motioned to Paige to help her. They each grabbed one of Phoebe's arms lightly and supported her by the waist. Moving quickly they guided her to the couch. Paige ran to get the first aid kit out of the trunk of the car while Piper continued to apply pressure to the clotting wounds. As soon as she knew that Paige was out of earshot, she looked at Phoebe curiously.

"Why?"

Phoebe looked tired and confused, "Why what?"

"You've been going out at night, a lot? You've been searching for the chupacabra alone?"

"Nah, there were five Goth-heads that wanted to sacrifice me to it. I think they were pretty good companions until they stuck a gun to my head."

"Phoebe!"

"What, they were," Phoebe shrugged.

"Where are these 'companions' now?"

Phoebe stopped joking and stiffened as Piper put a hot rag to the wounds, "They're dead."

Piper's lips pressed tightly together trying to form the next logical question, but before she could get the words out, there was a loud sound coming from the front porch.

"Oh god," Piper whispered, "Paige?" She had forgotten that Paige was outside, alone. Phoebe tried to sit up on the couch but Piper made her stay where she was. She started toward the door but was startled as Paige, with a Cheshire grin, came busting into the living room carrying a bloody blanket with something bundled up inside.

Paige noticed Piper staring at her with worry engraved into the circles under her eyes. Paige nodded toward Piper giving her the thumbs-up signal indicating she was fine. Then she walked into the kitchen and dropped the bloody blanket on the floor. It landed with a thud. Phoebe grinned at the enthusiasm on Paige's face.

Piper looked at both of her little sisters and frowned, "Is that what I think it is?"

Phoebe nodded, "Yup!"

Paige folded back the corners of the blanket to reveal a nasty looking creature. Piper wrinkled her nose in disgust. An arrow was sticking out of one of its red eyes, although they didn't seem to be glowing any more.

"I bagged myself a chupacabra."

_I've come to bring you hell  
I've come to bring you hell  
I've come to bring you hell  
I've come to bring you hell  
I've come to bring you hell  
I've come to bring you hell  
I've come to bring you hell  
I've come to bring you hell_


	3. Chapter 3

Right Before Your Eyes  
[Song by Hoobastank]

Paige looked at Piper with an anxious expression. Paige had been waiting for Piper to go off on Phoebe, and she figured now would be the time. Piper was still kneeling next to the couch where Phoebe was now lying down. Each wound had it's own wrapping and the blood had completely stopped. Piper had been able to assess the damage and knew that only the deepest ones, on the upper right arm were going to scar, the rest would heal fine.

_When the doors shut don't worry bout me,  
It's not attention that I want from you.  
Need you to trust, who I'm gonna be,  
And in everything I'm going to do.  
Cause I'm not afraid of what I don't know  
For understanding is all that I yearn.  
What is for sure is I'm gonna go,  
I'm going to live and I'm going to learn.  
And I know there will be mistakes that I will make.  
But, I know that none are worse than chances I don't take._

They all looked from one another to the bloody mess of a monster on their kitchen floor. The trailer felt like a coffin as they stood staring in silence. Paige looked again to Piper and saw that Piper still had one eyebrow raised. She knew that look meant that Piper was mulling over her response. That she wasn't happy with the situation but was sort of proud at the same time. Paige had gotten good at reading the expressions her sisters made.

_Right Before your eyes I am changing, changing.  
You laugh on the inside, I am changing, changing._

Looking at Phoebe she almost giggled at her cheeky grin. She was glad that Phoebe was proud of her achievement but at the same time she felt less than safe about Phoebe's lack of caution. She knew Piper was feeling the same way.

"Phoebe. Honey, I'm not about to get mad at you because this is exactly what we needed to break into this mission, but at the same time, I'm going to get a little upset with you, because what in the hell were you thinking going after this thing on your own!?"

Paige found Piper's voice entertaining as she wavered between calm, collected, and pissed off. Paige wanted to say something and found herself instinctually trying to use her own vocal cords to convey her opinion. Piper and Phoebe both looked at Paige at the same time as her mouth opened to speak. They waited with baited breath for words to come out.

_When the door shuts, shuts finally.  
A new person that I have become.  
I'll follow my heart to my destiny.  
Living in fear and the sorrow is done.  
There will be no more feeling that I know.  
I will surround my self with things that help me grow, grow._

Paige noticed that her sisters were staring at her. And as she quickly closed her mouth, she ran out of the room, too embarrassed to stay with what she thought were her stronger sisters. She locked herself in her and Piper's room and sat at the small desk in the corner. Paper covered the desk, drawings of weapons that Piper had been working on, maps, letters, and Paige's journal. She opened it quickly and began to write out her thoughts. She completely ignored the fact that Phoebe was injured and that there was a dead chupacabra in the kitchen.

***************************

Piper hung her head and stared at the mess in her kitchen. Her voice was a whisper as she spoke to Phoebe, "What happened?"

"What happened? What happened? What happened is that our little sister can't speak because you're too busy protecting her. You won't let her take up for herself any more. You won't even let me help her."

Piper looked at Phoebe, anger apparent in her burning brown eyes, "Excuse me?"

"You wanted to know what happened, I'm telling you. We had a sister who was vibrant, and full of life, and strong and brave. And she's gone."

"Why are you even bringing Prue into this?" Piper said sharply.

Phoebe shook her head in disbelief, "I'm not talking about Prue. I'm talking about Paige. That woman in there, who is still so terrified that she can't even speak, who is so afraid to be in the dark that she sleeps not only with a nightlight but with her big sister as well. You don't find the wrong in that? She's 26 years old for Christ's sake. Piper, she needs to heal. You cannot protect her from healing. In order to heal, she has to go through it, not around it."

Piper pressed her lips together in a thin stubborn line before speaking, "You don't think I know that? Tell me Phoebe…what in the hell am I supposed to do? You tell me that."

"You let me help you help her," Phoebe's voice was calm, but with a twinge of sadness.

"Thank you Jerry Ma-freaking-guire! Let me ask you something else, little sister. Were you the one who let her down? Huh? Did she call out your name to save her? No…I'm the one that let that monster rip her world apart in the swamps. I let that happen, not you."

"So this isn't about Paige at all," Phoebe said as she swung into an upright position on the couch, grabbing her ribs with a wince as she did. "This is all about your guilt, Piper, can't you see that. I know how you feel, and don't you dare say I don't. I've lost just as much as you have, and the one thing left that we've lost we can save together. That's Paige. Leo's not coming back, Cole won't save us. We have each other and that's it."

"How can you even sit there and tell me that 'we have each other'? My God Phoebe you were just out tackling a beast that we should have gone after together. Who's the solo-player now?"

"We're not talking about my actions," Phoebe said her voice rising slightly in pitch, but still calm.

_Right Before your eyes I am changing, changing.  
You laugh on the inside, I am changing, changing._

Piper hesitated before sitting next to Phoebe and grabbing her hand. She sat quietly for a few seconds, making Phoebe nervous. Piper let out a long breath and then looked into Phoebe's eyes.

"We never do, do we?" she said quietly.

Phoebe didn't immediately follow, "What are you talking about?"

"We never talk about your actions, or your feelings, or your pain. It's always about Paige. Or me."

Phoebe lowered her eyes to the ground. Her heart ached with the truth of Piper's words. She wanted to let Piper hold her, wanted to cry in her arms, but they were beyond that point at that moment. Instead she took what comfort was offered in Piper's hand.

_When the door shuts don't worry bout me.  
Need you to trust who I'm going to be.  
When the door shuts don't worry bout me.  
Need you to trust who I'm going to be._

She spoke after a few moments of reflection, "I'll admit. It's been hard. Watching the two of you, so close. And not just because I haven't been a part of that. But because I have felt so useless. Like you don't need me and neither does Paige. It's been hard, and that's why I've been such a hard ass these last few weeks."

"Pheebs? Why didn't you just say something?"

Phoebe shrugged, not really sure what the answer was. Piper nodded, understanding the feeling. They sat for another few minutes before Piper began to pace.

"Where do we go from here?"

"I don't know Piper."

"Want to know what I think?"

"I always want to know what you think," Phoebe said looking up at her big sister with eyes filled with tears.

Piper smiled down at her, "I think we do this together from now on. We all take care of each other. We both take care of Paige."

"Piper, we let Paige take care of us, too. She is different, it's true, the Paige we knew is gone, but I think that the Paige with us is going to be stronger than she ever was, and happier, and safer."

"What makes you so sure?" Piper asked.

"Because she's not alone like she was the first time Ben hurt her."

Piper nodded and looked back down at the Chupacabra and nudged the creature with her foot, "Okay…before we work on our family issues, tell me what happened out there with this thing."

********************************

After hearing everything Piper and Phoebe had said, Paige scribbled furiously in her journal, one that Phoebe had given her when she had bought her own. Paige's words were clear and concise on paper, although still caught and jumbled in her throat. She wanted to speak, she wanted to scream out loud, she wanted to tell Phoebe that she needed her comfort too, to tell Piper that she felt safe thanks to her. But the verbal words wouldn't come out.

She finished jotting down the last few words she needed to get out of her head, and then she threw the book across the room. It landed against the wall and fell to the floor in a flurry of noise. Her outburst surprised her. She hadn't been angry once in the months since she had been brutally attacked in New Orleans.

A flash of a memory bounced through her head. She was remembering the last time she and Phoebe had really communicated with one another. It had been while they were on their way to New Orleans. Phoebe had been driving, Paige had been the co-pilot and Piper was asleep in the back seat. And together, Paige and Phoebe had sung aloud to 'House of the Rising Sun.'

The memory, a happy one, brought more tears to Paige's cheeks. She shook off the grief and walked to the place where her journal had fallen. She picked it up and went back to the desk. Flipping to the beginning of the book, she began to reread everything she had written there in the weeks that had passed since their home had been destroyed, since one of the four people that made her feel safe had died. And for the first time she thought of that list, that list that was now down to three people. Piper, Phoebe, and Glen. She almost smiled thinking of Glen, wishing she knew where he was but at the same time knowing that if he were near her, she was no longer sure she would feel safe with him.

She picked up a book from the desk, one she had been studying, reading and committing to memory. She straightened up, determined to get on with life. She pushed herself away from the desk and walked back into the living room where Piper was standing facing Phoebe who was leaning against the kitchen counter for support.

"And so the beast here came flying at me then…" Phoebe said.

Piper interjected, "when you picked up the crossbow?"

"Right, it was like it knew that I was there to kill it. Anyway, I got off an arrow before it started maiming me. I guess it took a while for the poison to go through it, I don't know. But by the time it finally killed over, it had gotten in a few too many hits on me."

Paige knew she had not been noticed yet. She surprised them by slamming a book down on the counter in front of them. They turned to her, their eyes wide with confusion. Paige began to make gestures and signals with her hands. She then pointed to the book.

Piper and Phoebe looked to the book and realized that it was a book, "Sign Language for Dummies." When Paige was sure that they had gotten her unspoken point she stormed out of the room and slammed the door again, locking herself this time in Phoebe's room. She was intent on sleeping by herself.

In the kitchen, Piper and Phoebe were still too stunned to react. Phoebe looked from the book to Piper, "I think she's finally ready to talk."

"Yeah, no kidding," she said as she picked up the book and reread the title, "And go figure the first thing she says to us is that we're dummies."

_Right Before your eyes I am changing, changing.  
You laugh on the inside, I am changing, changing.  
Right Before your eyes I am changing, changing.  
You laugh on the inside, I am changing, changing.  
Right Before your eyes I am changing, changing.  
You laugh on the inside, I am changing, changing._


	4. Chapter 4

4

Let Go  
[song by 12 Stones]

His hands were like ice as they slipped slowly around the silver-handled dagger. His finger traced the intricate etchings upon the grip. He mindlessly watched a group of men loading a crate into the back of a pickup truck. Snarls and screeches came from within the enclosure. Smiling to himself, he knew he had not only reached his goal, but had exceeded his own wild expectations.

The humidity was wrapped around him like an uncomfortable blanket. Had he been a worrisome man, or even an unconfident man, he may have been drenched in perspiration. But he was smooth, and therefore, cool.

"Hey boss, want us to load the other one?" A man in a backwards ball cap and long greasy hair looked at him.

"No. I have plans for them. Leave the second crate here. Take that one and release them exactly where we discussed. Your reward will be waiting for you there."

He tried to smile at the unkempt young man, but was too disgusted having to look at him. He walked away in his pressed white linen suit and got into the back of a long, black stretch limousine. He signaled the driver to move ahead. He watched as the docks disappeared form his view. He loved Miami.

Picking up his cell phone he closed the partition between himself and the driver. The other end of the line rang twice before a deep voice picked up.

"Hello?"

"They're here."

"Wonderful," the deep voice said, "Now let those little bitches come snooping. They'll get a lot more than they bargained for."

Again the man toyed with the dagger, intent to be satisfied with his own revenge. He knew that becoming partners-in-crime with the man on the other end of the cell phone had been pure chance and therefore pure destiny.

"They will get dead is what they'll get. And I'll see to it that the sister that killed your son gets extra dead."

He could hear his partner chuckle on the other end of the line, "I'm sure you will take quite good care of Paige, just be sure to take care of your own need for revenge."

"Don't worry, I have special plans for Piper Halliwell."

"What to do with the middle sister?" The voice said deepening with malevolence.

The man smiled knowing what his partner was thinking. He looked out the window thinking of Phoebe.

"I think we can come up with something for her. She deserves to live a little longer…maybe some extra special care for that one."

********************************

_I'm ready to let go.  
I feel so alone again  
I know that I need you  
To help me make it through the night  
and I pray  
That you believe in me  
You gave me my strength  
To face another day alone _

Paige threw herself on the bed after turning off the light in Phoebe's room. She was intent on proving to her older sisters that she was capable of being unafraid. But as she barely heard the whispers of her sisters talking in the kitchen, she felt surrounded by the darkness. She had wrapped her arms tightly around Phoebe's pillow breathing in the scent of the middle sister's shampoo.

Within an hour she heard a light tap at the door, followed by Phoebe's voice. It was sweet and sympathetic, more like the Phoebe she had known from before their time spent in New Orleans. She heard Piper ask Phoebe to please lie down on the couch.

Paige felt a twinge of guilt because Phoebe was injured. She had seen the cuts and knew they had to hurt. And her power, the Whitelighter powers she used to have, were the ones that could heal her sisters. She silently wept for not being able to be strong for her sisters. She ignored Piper at the door begging for her to unlock it and let them in to talk. She wanted them to spend some time together. Even if it meant sacrificing her own feeling of safety.

It had been another hour before she had finally cried herself to sleep, thinking of the short time she had spent with her sisters, and the things they had been through together. Whispers in her head told her that their ancestors, their spirits, were still with them, but they were as powerless as the Charmed Ones.

_I need you now  
my friend  
more than you know  
when will we meet again  
cause I can't let go  
of you _

Piper collapsed on the bed, her mind a whirlwind of thoughts. She buried her face in her pillow as she felt the world resting on her shoulders.

"Piper?" Phoebe's voice was meek.

Piper turned her head slowly and looked up into Phoebe's large brown eyes, "What is it sweetie?"

"What if she has a nightmare?"

"Paige? If she has a nightmare she'll scream and we'll go to her."

Phoebe sat on the bed next to Piper. Piper rolled over onto her back and gestured for Phoebe to lie in her arms. Phoebe obliged her older sister and cuddled into her embrace. After a moment of silence she was shocked to feel Piper silently sobbing. She quickly turned around and came eye to eye with Piper.

"What's wrong, Piper?"

Piper stilled herself and caught her breath, "I've missed you."

Phoebe's eyes glistened with tears as she smiled at Piper, "And I've missed you missing me."

They stared at one another comfortably. After several moments of silence, Phoebe began to cry.

"Talk to me Pheebs?"

"I worry day and night about her. About Paige. I'm worried right now that someone will take her from us, or that she'll be hurt again and we'll lose her forever."

"We can't live our lives like that, and neither can she."

Phoebe swallowed the lump in her throat, "I know. But I hate the idea of her being alone. Even just in another room."

"Do you realize that with the exception of when she's in the bathroom, she hasn't been alone since the night we found her in the swamps?" Piper's mind flashed on an image of her fragile baby sister lying in the hospital emergency room, unable to speak, clearly sad and afraid.

Phoebe nodded, "I don't think I'll be able to sleep unless I know I can hear her if something happens."

Piper smiled and shook her head. She jumped off the bed and grabbed her pillow and Paige's. She then made Phoebe stand and yanked the comforter from the bed as well.

"Think your wounds can handle sleeping on the floor on the other side of the trailer?"

Phoebe's eyes shined with gratefulness, "Damn straight."

As they moved from the bedroom through the living room, Piper glanced down at a garbage bag tied tightly sitting on the kitchen floor, "We have to get that thing out of here before it starts to stink.

Phoebe stifled a laugh, "Yeah, yeah, we'll deal with that in the morning. First we sleep in peace."

Piper frowned, knowing that Phoebe had no real idea of how little sleep they'd be getting. Paige would dream, and it would rock the house. Piper had been the one for over a month calming and soothing an almost nightly occurrence of nightmare-induced screams.

The space outside of Phoebe's bedroom door was big enough for Piper and Phoebe to lay down and relax. They huddled under the comforter. And both drifted to sleep within 30 minutes, happy enough to be at least that close to Paige.

***********************************

_This world brings me down  
again  
I know that I need you  
To help me make it through the night  
and I pray  
that your the one for me  
You gave me my strength  
to face another day _

Paige stared endlessly into the darkness of her dreams. The images were muddled, one shadowy figure passing for another. She fought the urge to scream for Piper the minute she saw Ben Caldwell's face appear in her dream. He slithered toward her. She looked around and realized that the scenery changed from the basement room he had first attacked her in to the dilapidated shack in the New Orleans swamps, where Ben had attacked her a second time.

She shivered as, very vividly, she felt his hands on her bare legs, and on her bare arms. She struggled, kicked. Quickly she realized she was fighting at air. She was awake and a scream was cutting off her air supply. She let out a loud gasp and trembling she fumbled for the lamp. A small stream of light carved its way through the dark room giving Paige slight reprieve from her fear.

As she tried to calm herself she realized that it was ridiculous to try to overcome her fear alone. She had two sisters she could depend on. She immediately felt regretful at her earlier behavior as she thought about Phoebe, deeply scratched by the Chupacabra. She thought before removing the covers from her still shaking body.

She was intent on going to her own room and crawling into the bed with Piper and Phoebe. She needed to feel safe. She wasn't ready to go it alone. She crept to the door and unlocked it, quietly pulling it open. She was pleasantly shocked to see that her older sisters were asleep on the floor in front of door. Piper and Phoebe were both lying on their sides facing one another. Paige smiled to herself despite the fact that she was still trembling.

She felt a warm breeze and looked toward the kitchen. The soft light above the oven illuminated the middle portion of the trailer, casting eerie shadows throughout the kitchen and living room. Paige let her brown-eyed gaze shift slowly to the blood-soaked blanket in the kitchen. She could make out the form of the chupacabra still inside the garbage bag. She shivered further as she looked toward the back door of the trailer, the door that led to the small backyard with the punching bag and picnic table. The door was firmly closed and Paige relaxed slightly.

She stepped softly between her sisters and laid herself on the floor cuddling close to both Piper and Phoebe. She was more than relieved when Phoebe placed an arm around her and snuggled close. Soon after Piper did the same thing. Paige felt safer than she had in months.

_And I know  
and I need you now  
my friend  
more than you know  
when will we meet again  
cause I can't let go  
no I can't let go_

*********************************

Phoebe was glad that her sisters had their eyes closed and that both Piper and Paige were softly snoring. Her grin was magnanimous. She had forgotten in all of her self-pity that she loved her sisters more than anything in life. Until the day she died the thing that would make her happiest was her sisters.

She continued to grin until she was almost asleep. Just as her eyelids were growing heavier, a silhouette made her heart stop and her eyes pop open. She stood up quickly from her place on the floor. Every scratch and cut on her body ached with bruising. She looked around again, her eyes turning toward the ceiling.

As she searched the trailer with her eyes, not daring to move from her spot next to her sisters, she ignored the fever that was burning through her. The shadow moved again, swiftly. She was able to follow it this time as it flew out the back door. Phoebe moved then, quickly toward the still open door. She only thought momentarily about how it had been opened.

Phoebe stepped onto the small back deck. She looked back into the trailer, just able to see her sisters. Paige and Piper hadn't stirred from sleep. She looked around, not noticing the man staring at her from the shadows behind their next-door neighbor's trailer. She turned and walked back into the kitchen, only then noticing that the bag in the kitchen held no chupacabra.

She ran quickly back outside only to be met with the sharp squeal of the chupacabra. It was heading for her. As she dove off the porch hitting the rock-hard dirt of the back yard, the chupacabra entered the house. She could hear a scuffle in the trailer, followed by Piper screaming out Paige's name. Phoebe's heart shuddered as it dawned on her that in her waking hours, Paige did not have the ability to scream.

She pulled herself up from the ground as quickly as she could, her back aching with the movements. She ran up the back steps and into the trailer only to be knocked back down again by the red-eyed beast. She couldn't believe it was still alive. It was as though it had been waiting to attack.

As she landed on the kitchen floor with a thud, she managed to catch a glimpse of Piper on all fours on the hallway floor. She couldn't see Paige anywhere. Her mind raced with the possibilities. Piper looked like she was in deep pain.

"Phoebe! Get Paige!" Piper's voice was laden with hurt.

"Where is she?" Phoebe cried out to Piper over the squeal of the hovering chupacabra.

Piper screamed back, "She went outside, through the front door."

Phoebe scrambled to get to her feet. She wanted to get to Piper first. As her older sister sat back on her heels, she could see that there was blood covering the front of her pajamas. Phoebe knew that the chupacabra had gouged Piper's abdomen.

Phoebe looked around spotting the blanket on the floor. She quickly scooped it up and as she ran toward Piper, she threw the blanket at the creature covering it and causing it to fall to the floor. She quickly pulled Piper from the floor and together they ran toward the back door that was still open. The downed-chupacabra was fighting against its makeshift net.

As Piper and Phoebe stepped into the humid night air they simultaneously spotted the youngest sister lying on the ground her arms crossed over her face. A second chupacabra was attacking her. Phoebe and Piper ran as fast as they could with their injuries. Before they could reach Paige, the man who had been watching from the shadows stepped next to Paige's side. In his hand he held a shotgun. Phoebe and Piper slid to a stop as the man pointed the gun toward them.

A loud squeal echoed off the surrounding night. Before Phoebe could hold up her hands in defense of the shotgun, it went off. The ringing of the shot reverberated through her ears, leaving her stunned and confused. Before she could assess the situation, she fell to the ground, oblivion overtaking her.


	5. Chapter 5

5

Bleed for Me  
[song by Saliva]

Piper ducked to the ground as the shot went off, followed closely by another one. She heard three thuds. The first was from Phoebe falling to the ground, the second was a wounded chupacabra landing right next to Phoebe on the ground, and the third thud came from the second chupacabra that had fallen to the ground near Paige. Piper looked to see Paige standing up from the ground running toward Phoebe. Piper, her own wound slowing her down, made steady progress toward the middle sister as well.

"Phoebe!" She called out as she reached Phoebe's side. She looked at Paige, who appeared calmer than Piper expected her to be. Piper looked over Phoebe's body and saw no blood other than the marks made by the chupacabra. No gunshot wounds could be seen. Piper felt Phoebe's forehead and realized that a fever was coursing through Phoebe's skin.

"Damn it! Infection. I should have known. She's passed out from the fever," Piper said talking mostly to herself.

She felt a hand tapping lightly on her forearm, she knew that it was Paige getting her attention. She looked into the wide amber eyes of the youngest Halliwell, and saw that Paige was looking at the man with the gun. Piper was intrigued by the fact that Paige didn't seem scared of him at all. When she looked at the man's face, she knew why.

_All I ever wanted was to be at your service  
But now I'm alone cause you were here and you're gone  
And all I ever wanted was to feel I had purpose  
But now that's all gone  
But if you could give me _

"Detective Riland?"

"Please, it's just Thomas now. I quit the force right after you guys left the hospital that night in New Orleans."

Piper was perplexed, "Okay, but what are you doing here?"

He pulled up his jeans revealing an ankle knife, jerking it from its sheath, he smiled at Piper, "Looks to me like I'm saving your asses."

Piper didn't noticed Paige nodding next to her, "Saving our asses? How about nearly shooting us?"

Piper felt flustered by his extremely good looks, his dark eyes, and dark hair. He looked a bit more rugged than the last time they saw him in the hallway of the hospital after he shot Ben Caldwell with a silver bullet. She suddenly felt conscious of the scar on her forehead.

"Shooting you? Well isn't that just the sweetest thing? I have perfect aim, Ms. Halliwell, if I wanted to shoot you I would have," he said as he jerked up one of the chupacabras and with no effort at all slid the knife through its neck. The head fell onto the ground.

"Ew!" It was as though Piper was speaking for both she and Paige as she looked at the expression on the redhead's face. Piper continued to stare at the ex-cop as he picked up the second chupacabra and did the same to it.

"Yeah, well, thank you for saving our asses then," she couldn't help the feeling of oddly-timed flirtation she felt come over her as she continued to stare up at him. She felt the tapping on her arm again and she looked to Paige.

"What, Paige?"

Paige scowled at her and then pointed to Phoebe, still unconscious on the ground.

"Oh! Oh god! Sorry, right. Pheebs, honey, wake up," Piper knew her cheeks were flushed red with embarrassment as Paige shook her head.

Piper kept her eyes on Thomas Riland. He went to the garden hose and washed his hands clean of the chupacabra blood. Piper saw him looking at the trailers surrounding theirs.

"We need to move inside ladies, the neighbors are wondering, might call the cops."

Paige shook her head no and looked as though she was trying to remember how to say the right words. Nothing came from Paige's mouth though and she looked back toward Phoebe, a look of defeat coming across her face. Piper noticed this and as Thomas Riland picked Phoebe off the ground with little exertion, she translated Paige's thoughts.

"Paige is right, they won't call the police. Most of them are here illegally."

Paige smiled and nodded, knowing that if she couldn't say the words at least Piper knew what she was thinking.

_Just one love, just one life  
Just one chance to believe in my...  
Just one love, just one life_

They followed Thomas inside as he laid Phoebe down on the couch. Paige, although apparently not afraid of him remained standing in the kitchen, farther away from him than Piper.

Piper looked at Paige, "Could you get me a bowl of water with lots of ice in it. We're going to see if we can bring the fever down."

Paige nodded and turned quickly toward the sink and freezer to complete her task. Piper looked back at Detective Riland, grateful he had saved their lives, but afraid of his presence none-the-less.

"You're bleeding," Thomas said as he pointed to Piper's stomach. Piper looked down, having forgotten about her chupacabra wound the minute the gunshots were fired.

She smiled as she realized it wasn't very deep, "It happens."

He quickly went into the kitchen with Paige and grabbed a washcloth from the drawer he had seen Paige pull one from. He soaked the cloth under the running tap water and brought it back to Piper. She leaned back against the island in the kitchen and allowed Thomas to lift her shirt, exposing the wound. Piper looked at Paige who raised an eyebrow at her. Piper shrugged at her.

Piper tried to ignore the warmth of his hands on her skin, "How did you find us Detective Riland?"

"Thomas, please. I've been following you," his voice was matter-of-fact.

Piper didn't flinch, "Why?"

"Why do I want you to call me Thomas, or why have I been following you?"

Piper was getting irritated, "I'll take B for 200 Alex."

_You bleed for me and I didn't get to notice you  
Now I'm stuck on a line  
Bleed for me, I didn't get to be with you  
Now you're stuck in my mind_

"Curious about you three, I guess. I feel a little responsible for you."

"Yeah? How's that?" Piper was trying her best to conceal her unexplainable attraction to Thomas.

"Well, I uh…" Thomas glanced uncomfortably at Paige in the kitchen. She was filling the bowl of ice with water, her back was turned to them.

Piper followed his gaze to Paige, "Ah, I see," she said as she pulled her shirt down and moved away from Thomas. You think what happened in New Orleans is your fault?"

She looked at Paige who was already setting the bowl of ice water on the coffee table. Paige sat next to the bowl and dipped a washcloth into it. She placed the wet cloth on Phoebe's forehead. She then looked up to Thomas with kind eyes. She looked at him thoughtfully and then to Piper. Nodding her head she silently passed a message to Piper with her eyes.

Piper smiled, "She doesn't blame you, Detective Riland, you shouldn't blame yourself either."

Thomas looked to Paige, his eyes filled with curiosity, "Can you tell me that yourself, it'll make me feel a lot better about it."

Paige frowned and went back to tending to Phoebe. Piper dropped her own smile and looked at Riland, "She can't speak. Hasn't been able to since that night."

Thomas' eyes looked as though they were filling with tears, but he quickly subdued them as he turned his attention to Phoebe. He moved next to her and began to pull off her pajama bottoms. Paige reacted by hurling herself at him knocking him down and rolling on the ground herself.

Paige didn't pause long enough to breathe before she was throwing punches at the downed detective. She felt arms wrap around her waist and felt herself being pulled off of Thomas Riland. She kicked on her way up managing to land a few good kicks on the man. He coughed slightly as he rolled onto all fours. Paige felt satisfaction in seeing the man's bloody nose. She felt stronger than she had in a long time as she realized that Piper was still holding her back.

"What in the hell do you think your doing Detective Riland?!?" Piper's voice was filled with venom.

"Thomas, please! She has an extremely high fever. We need to remove her clothes and bring it down."

"You should know better, Detective, particularly with us that you don't just take someone's clothes off without permission."

Realization hit Riland's eyes, "I'm sorry. You're right. I'm sorry. How about I go sit on the back porch, have a cigarette, and you guys tend to your sister."

Paige was breathing heavy with the adrenalin coursing through her system. She shook Piper off of her as Riland went out the back door closing it behind him.

"Wow, sis, you showed him," Piper was already sitting next to Phoebe again, smiling up at Paige.

Paige blushed and then shrugged moving to the foot of the couch where she finished taking off Phoebe's pants. Piper decided they could leave her in just her tank top and underwear. They each grabbed a washcloth and soaked Phoebe in the cold water. For about a half an hour they sat in silence each conscious sister worried about Phoebe and each wondering what was going to happen with Detective Thomas Riland in town.

Paige's biggest worry was getting Phoebe to wake up and take something to help with the fever. The three of them had garnered quite a collection of medicine and first aid materials ever since Paige lost her healing ability. Paige wished again for the Whitelighter powers, and that wish led to a thought of Leo. Paige fought back tears as she thought of her handsome brother-in-law. She knew Piper missed him with every ounce of her soul. She knew because some nights, when she couldn't sleep, she would listen to Piper mumble in her sleep. She was talking to Leo in her dreams. Paige wondered, as she heard the familiar voices in her head, connections to the past, to the Elders, to home, if there was really a way to regain the power of three.

_All I ever wanted was to be what you needed  
Cause something so strong, it could never be wrong  
And all I can promise, is to say what I'm feeling  
We've made it so long  
But if you could give me_

Piper held Phoebe's hand, thinking of the man outside. He had saved their lives twice. Piper felt as though she owed him at least a thank you. She thought about the first time she saw Thomas at the police station. She had felt immediately physically attracted to him, but her heart had felt pained as she recalled her fights and her love with Leo. Leo. The name, the face, he was always in her thoughts, always in her heart. Sometimes the memory of him hurt so much that she wanted to do something to make it go away. She missed him, more than she ever thought possible.

_Just one love, just one life  
Just one chance to believe in my...  
Just one love, just one life_

Thomas Riland sucked in the carcinogenic air, reveling in its soothing effects. He looked up at the rising sun. Daytime was coming fast and he was happy about it. Too many nights he had spent outside the girls' trailer keeping a watch over them. He knew what was going to happen. He knew who was coming for them.

_You bleed for me and I didn't get to notice you  
Now I'm stuck on a line  
Bleed for me, I didn't get to be with you  
Now you're stuck in my mind_

Phoebe opened her eyes just as the first touches of sunlight made their way to the windows. Paige smiled at her and Piper grasped her hand a little more tightly than she had been.

"Did I get shot?" Her voice was groggy.

Piper laughed, "No silly, you passed out."

"That's embarrassing," Phoebe said as she tried to sit up. Her head felt heavy.

"Nothing to be embarrassed about, kiddo, you have a fever. Paige and I managed to bring it down with the help of Detective Riland."

"Oh really, thanks…wait…did you say Detective Riland?" Phoebe looked confused.

"Yeah, and your little sister over here wailed on him after he tried to take off your pants," Piper said pointing her thumb toward Paige who was smiling proudly.

"He tried to do what?"

Piper shook her head, "He was going to take them off to help cool you down because of the fever. Nothing bad."

"And you beat him up for me, Paige?"

Paige nodded, her brown eyes beaming.

"Thank you very much."

Paige shrugged and got up. She got a bottle of pills off the kitchen counter and handed them to Piper. Piper took two of the pills out of the plastic bottle and gave them to Phoebe. Phoebe tossed them in her mouth and downed them with a glass of tap water Piper held for her.

"What were those?"

"Just extra-strength Tylenol. It'll help with the residual fever."

Piper turned to hand the bottle back to Paige, and that's when she and Phoebe both noticed that their little sister had turned a whiter shade of pale.

"Paige?" Piper's voice contained all her worry. Paige clasped her hands around her throat and slid to the floor of the trailer.

Phoebe, still in a tank top and underwear, moved from the couch to Paige's side, "Paige, what's wrong? Does your throat hurt?"

_Just one love in my life_

Paige looked from sister to sister, her head felt as though it was going to explode. Images bright and filled with light, blinding white light, flashed through her mind. She tried to blink away the painful brightness. A voice, clear and familiar filled her mind. She reached with her mind to get closer to the voice. She did not even hear herself speak.

"Leo?"

_You bleed for me and I didn't get to notice you  
Now I'm stuck on a line  
Bleed for me, I didn't get to be with you  
Now you're stuck in my mind_

Piper and Phoebe looked to one another before looking at Paige again. Both reeling from the fact that Paige had spoken her first word in months.

Phoebe voice was filled with excitement, "Paige, what about Leo?"

Piper's enthusiasm was restrained as she reached out to wrap her hand around Paige. Before she could touch the youngest Halliwell, the room was filled with light. Bright blue orbs of light circled Paige. The light was so intense that Piper and Phoebe had to shut their eyes.

When they reopened their eyes, Paige was gone. All that was left was a bad feeling, unanswered questions, and a very stunned looking Thomas Riland standing at the back door.

_Just one love in my life  
Just one love in my life_


	6. Chapter 6

6

Going Under  
[Song by Evanescence…not on Daredevil Soundtrack]

_Now I will tell you what I've done for you  
50 thousand tears I've cried  
Screaming, deceiving, and bleeding for you  
And still you won't hear me_

Piper couldn't move, her breath barely traveled in and out of her nostrils as her heart pounded in her chest, craving more oxygen. She felt as though her world had been ripped away from her. She managed to tear her eyes away from the space that Paige had been occupying only moments before. She looked to Phoebe for a sign of an explanation.

Phoebe couldn't bear to move her eyes, but she was the first to find her voice, "Did she just orb?"

Piper felt the shock and the panic temporarily shelve itself to make way for control, "I don't know, Phoebe."

Piper looked around the room. "Here," she picked up the bowl of water on the coffee table, "Drop this. I'll see if I can freeze it."

Phoebe took the bowl from Piper and let go of it. Piper threw up her hands as it dropped to the ground. The bowl did not freeze. It landed with a thud and splash. Phoebe, eyes filled with fear, looked to Piper. Piper shook her head no.

"Powers aren't working, she couldn't have orbed," Piper spoke as though her mind was determining a plan of action.

"She spoke, Piper, she said, 'Leo.' What do you think that means?"

Piper began to pace while Phoebe slipped her pants on. Both Piper and Phoebe ignored the still-stunned ex-detective in the doorway, "I don't know what it means. Do you think the Elders took her up?"

"It's possible. There's bound to be chaos since we've been out of commission," Phoebe started pacing in the opposite direction as Piper.

"Okay, so the Elders brought her up, but why Paige, why not one of us?"

Phoebe stopped pacing, "She's half Whitelighter, Piper, They can force-orb her but not us."

Piper then stopped pacing and looked thoughtfully at Phoebe, "But she's lost her Whitelighter powers too, so they wouldn't be able to orb her."

Thomas Riland, who had been completely silent and still, spoke up, "Unless she had her Whitelighter powers all along."

Piper and Phoebe both turned slowly to look at Thomas. He was leaning against the doorframe. Piper found her attraction to him growing and she hated herself for thinking about something like lust when Paige had disappeared.

"What are you talking about Thomas? Do you think if Paige had powers she'd hide them from us?" Piper's voice belied her anger.

"Um, Piper…the real question is how in the hell does Riland know about our powers in the first place," Phoebe tone was calm although her blood was racing through her veins.

Piper looked from Phoebe and back to Thomas, "Good question. Got an answer?"

Thomas didn't remove his gaze from Piper and his piercing eyes made her nervous, "I didn't know about your powers. I just overheard what you guys were saying when she disappeared in all that light. I knew it had to be something supernatural. Hell, I don't even know what a Whitelighter is."

Piper believed him. She wasn't sure why but she did. She could tell that Phoebe was less trusting. Piper decided to give Thomas a chance to further explain.

"So do you think Paige was hiding her powers from us?"

"Piper?" Phoebe interrupted. She couldn't believe that Piper was even suggesting that Paige would hide something from them.

"I just want to know where he's going with this, Phoebe."

They both looked at Thomas again, and he cleared his throat, "No, I don't think she was hiding anything from you. I think that it's a psychological thing."

"Go on," Phoebe urged.

"Well, I know what happened to your sister in New Orleans. I know what Ben did to her."

"How do you know what happened, Detective?" Piper asked, angry that he had taken liberties with Paige's privacy.

"I was the police, it was my job to review the files and the pictures," it was his turn to pace. "Anyway, I know how traumatized she was. She lost her voice. Well, perhaps she never really lost her Whitelighter powers. Perhaps she was so afraid of magic afterward that they were suppressed."

Phoebe hated to say it, "He could be right Piper. I mean, we know that Paige can talk."

"My god Phoebe, she's said three whole words in the last three months," Piper stated.

"Listen, because she was raped it took away more than any of us can imagine."

Piper turned her furious gaze onto Thomas, "Don't you dare barge into our lives uninvited and start telling us what it was like for our sister to be raped. Don't you even dare!"

_Don't want your hand this time I'll save myself  
Maybe I'll wake up for once  
Not tormented daily defeated by you  
Just when I thought I'd reached the bottom  
I'm dying again_

Paige wasn't as scared as she knew she should be. Her world was surrounded by bright white light and she wondered if she were walking through the proverbial tunnel. She closed her eyes and thought of how awful it would be if she were to never see Phoebe and Piper again. Re-opening them, her sight was filled with the most amazing image she'd seen in a while.

"Leo? Are you real, am I dead?" Paige was excited that her voice was working then it dawned on her that her mouth hadn't moved and she was thinking.

"We're reading each other's minds, Paige. That way They can't hear us," Leo smiled slightly as he stepped toward Paige.

"Why shouldn't they hear us?" Paige thought.

Leo answered, "Because you're not supposed to know that I'm not completely dead."

"You're not what?!?" Paige's expression of clinched teeth and set jaw, along with furrowed eyebrows conveyed her anger.

"No time to explain. Where are you and your sisters now?"

"Miami, Florida."

"Chupacabras?" Leo asked without speaking.

Paige nodded, surprised that Leo knew anything about their activities. She had known since they had left San Francisco that she had some sort of connection to the elders, to their ancestors. Leo's appearance and her sudden disappearance from their trailer, led Paige to conclude that the Elders had been playing with them all along.

"They have been playing with the power of three, but they had good intentions. And yes, they knew what was happening to you in New Orleans."

Paige made no attempt to hide her tears or her anger that they would let her be so deeply hurt, "What's going on Leo?"

Leo looked around as though checking his cover. Paige knew she had been taken "up there." Leo finally looked her in the eyes, "The Elders are trying to prevent a war."

"Explain Leo, please," Paige's amber-brown eyes pleaded with him.

"They needed the Power of Three out of the way, without powers. There was a gathering army of evil that had every intention of surfacing and destroying you, Phoebe and Piper."

Paige frowned as she saw the miserable look in Leo's eyes as he said Piper's name. She knew his heart was still breaking.

"She misses you Leo. More than she'll ever admit. We all do."

Leo smiled and reached out for Paige's hand. She allowed him to take it and she held his hand back, "Leo, I'm scared. We're defenseless down there. It's not fair of Them. We're still dealing with evil, supernatural evil, and we have no way to heal, and to be strong."

Leo shook his head, "Someone's coming, I have to go."

"No, Leo, wait," Paige was finally afraid.

"Paige, just so you know…you still have some of your powers."

"I do?"

"They couldn't strip your Whitelighter powers from you, only your Wiccan ones."

"I don't understand. Leo?" Paige looked around as Leo disappeared.

As suddenly as she had appeared in the white light, she disappeared.

_I'm going under  
Drowning in you  
I'm falling forever  
I've got to break through  
I'm going under_

"Look, why don't you just calm down, Piper. I didn't mean anything by it," Thomas backed off and turned to leave the trailer. He could almost feel Piper's brown eyes piercing the back of his head. He turned around to look at her, but she was no longer looking at him. She had turned to Phoebe.

"What are we going to do, Pheebs?"

Phoebe looked past Piper and saw the once familiar blue orbs form in the kitchen, "We're going to ask Paige what in the hell is going on."

Piper turned around to see Paige fall to the floor of the tiny kitchen. Together, she and Phoebe rushed to the youngest sister's side.

"Paige? Honey, are you okay?" Phoebe held Paige's hand while Piper tried to help her sit up.

Paige looked at each of her sisters and tried to speak. Her voice was still gone. She pulled away from Piper and Phoebe and stood up. She looked around the room frantically trying to think of a way to describe to her sisters what had just happened.

Piper was the first to notice the panicked look in Paige's eyes, "Paige, you're safe, you know that right? You have to calm down and we'll figure out what happened."

Paige thought hard as she moved from the kitchen, passed a cautious Thomas Riland, and stopped in the hallway outside of Phoebe's room. She remembered what Leo had said about having the power to orb. She focused her energy on her and Piper's room. Closing her eyes she gathered every ounce of strength she had and concentrated on moving herself through space to that room.

She opened her eyes to see her sisters staring back at her like she was insane. She shook her head and shrugged. After throwing her hands up in frustration, she slumped onto the couch.

"This sucks," she thought as she looked at Phoebe, Piper and Thomas staring back at her expectantly.

"Yeah it does."

Paige's eyes grew wide as Piper's voice reached her ears. She looked up to see both Piper and Phoebe were wearing a look of shock. Paige knew that they had heard her thoughts. She looked to Thomas Riland and he still looked perplexed and impatient.

"What the fu…?"

_Blurring and stirring the truth and the lies  
So I don't know what's real and what's not  
Always confusing the thoughts in my head  
So I can't trust myself anymore  
I'm dying again_

Piper interrupted in time, "Paige! Watch your…"

"Mouth? I didn't say it out loud, I have free thought you know."

Piper and Phoebe both started smiling wildly. Riland looked uncomfortable standing rigidly by the door, "What's going on with you three?"

The girls paid him no attention as Phoebe and Piper bum rushed their baby sister wrapping their arms around her in a hug.

"What? What did I do?" Paige thought.

Phoebe began to ramble, "What did you do? Don't you get it? We can 'talk' to you now, sort of? It's the first time we've really been able to hear what you're saying in forever."

Paige smiled back at Phoebe with a silent response, "But I'm not talking, I'm thinking."

"Hello? Remember me? What in the hell is going on?" Thomas' voice was grating on Piper's nerves.

"Hey buddy! Do you mind? We're trying to have a telepathic conversation with our sister."

"You can read her mind?"

Piper disregarded his question and went back to trying to communicate with Paige, "Where did you go?"

Paige shrugged before thinking, "I'm pretty sure I was up there. I saw Leo. He's not dead, Piper."

Phoebe looked at Piper and could see a hint of hope in her brown eyes. Paige smiled and then frowned. Phoebe could tell she was thinking but she couldn't hear her thoughts. She noticed that Piper was trying to do the same, also unsuccessfully.

"Paige? We can't read your thoughts now," Phoebe said, concerned.

"Yes you can. I just turned them off so you couldn't hear them," Paige said sheepishly.

"How'd you learn to do that so fast Paige?" Piper asked unconvinced that everything was as it seemed to be.

Paige raised and eyebrow, "I don't know. I mean, I guess maybe my thoughts still get to be secret and you only get to hear what I want you to hear."

"Like a voice without verbalization?" Phoebe added.

Thomas had had enough. He sighed out loud and stormed out of the trailer, slamming the door behind him. Piper hoped he didn't go to far because he had answers to questions about the Chupacabras and that was a mission they still had to complete. She looked back to Paige.

"Leo said that our lack of powers was because of the Elders," Paige noiselessly said.

Piper pressed her lips together in a thin line, anger stirring in the tone of her words, "Should have known. All this time I've been blaming myself for our vulnerability, and it was them. Always them."

Piper subconsciously raised her hand to the scar on her forehead. She felt a headache coming on. She stood up and got the Tylenol off of the counter. She took two and sat back down by Paige. She swallowed the pills without any liquid to wash them down.

Paige grimaced and wondered how Piper could take pills like that, she shook the thought off as she looked at Phoebe. Phoebe shook her head. They both looked at Piper and frowned.

"What? I've got a headache," she dismissed the questioning looks with a wave of her hand. "Can we focus on the important things here? Why did the Elders take our powers at the most, inopportune time, Paige?"

"Leo said evil was gathering an army to come after us and kill us, so they stripped our powers to protect us," Paige thought as she stared down at her hands.

"Some timing they have," Phoebe said in disgust thinking of the injuries they had all sustained after the Loup Garou had attacked, thinking particularly about the horrors Paige had to go through.

"Not to mention," Piper joined in, "when isn't there an army of evil gathering to kill us?"

Phoebe nodded and Paige thought, "Leo said I still have some of my powers. My Whitelighter powers. He said they couldn't strip them. He didn't have a chance to say why. Piper, I think Leo's in serious trouble up there, and I think that They aren't who we think they are."

"Why would you think that Paige?" Phoebe asked.

"Because," the red-head reflected, "No truly good beings would put us through so much. They took Leo away from us, took away Prue, our house, the club. They let us battle supernatural beings without the aid of supernatural powers."

Piper's eyes grew wide with apprehension, "You don't think this is one of their tests, do you?"

Phoebe and Paige both shrugged, not wanting to think that the Elders would do that to them, but not convinced they wouldn't.

Paige contemplated, "I think Leo's in trouble. Piper I think he's been trying to find a way to orb back to you. To get back to all of us."

Piper let that idea soak in, "Why would he be in trouble?"

Phoebe gave an answer, "Because he's been trying to stop Them. It would be like Leo to do that."

Paige nodded and stood up walking to the bottle of Tylenol. She swallowed two without water. She was now experiencing the same headache that Piper was. She looked up to see Phoebe rubbing her temples.

"I think there's a side effect to this mind-reading thing," Paige thought.

"Well, until you get your voice back we'll have to deal with it. Communication is vital right now," Piper said, the pain in her head easing.

"So, do we deal with the Elders first or do we deal with the Chupacabras?" Phoebe asked.

Thomas sat on the picnic table throwing small rocks at the punching bag hanging from the swing set. He looked up when he heard the door to the trailer opening and the three sisters approaching him. His stomach flipped at the sight of the oldest. He couldn't believe how attracted to her he was. But he could tell that her heart belonged elsewhere.

He threw his handful of rocks on the ground and dusted his hands together, shedding them of the leftover dust, "So, are you guys going to let me in on what's going on or do I walk away, leaving you with absolutely no idea of what knowledge I have about the Chupes?"

"Chupes? You've nicknamed them?" Piper asked amused.

"Whatever. I didn't come here to be mocked. Do you want my help or not?"

Phoebe nodded, "Tell us what you know."

Thomas smirked, "Thought so. I'll tell you what I know, when you tell me what all that was about in there."

"He's an ass," Paige thought. Phoebe and Piper tried unsuccessfully to suppress their smiles.

"She just thought something about me didn't she?" He said pointing at Paige.

"Doesn't matter," Piper said, feeling more confident than she had in a while. "We decided that we'll handle the chupacabras first and deal with our issues second. Innocent people are dying and powers or not, the three of us made a vow to help innocent people. So that's what we're going to do. Now, you can either trust that we're good and only want to save lives, or you can be a nosey son of a bitch and hinder our mission. What's it going to be?"

_I'm going under  
Drowning in you  
I'm falling forever  
I've got to break through_

Thomas Riland was in love. He couldn't quit wanting Piper. But he knew his mission was far greater than theirs. And even love, or lust, wouldn't stand in his way. He looked at the redhead, Paige, the one who had been through so much. He noticed how she stared at him, distrusting, even a little afraid. He took note of the way the older two stood slightly in front of her, to guard her, he thought.

He thought about why he had come, who had sent him. He knew what he had to lead the sisters into, and it almost made him mad. But curiosity about their strengths and weaknesses made him eager to lead them into the darkness where he had been assigned to lead them. Thomas Riland was pretty sure that it was not the broken baby sister that was their weakness, but rather the unknowingly inconsolable middle child. He flicked his gaze to Phoebe.

This is going to be too easy, he thought, as he slid off the picnic table and prepared to tell the Halliwell sisters the exact things he had been told to tell them.

_So go on and scream  
Scream at me, I'm so far away  
I won't be broken again  
I've got to breathe I can't keep going under_


	7. Chapter 7

Breathing  
[Song by Lifehouse]

"Are you absolutely sure about the location, Thomas?" Piper's voice was steady, in control as she looked to the semi-stranger among them.

"I know what I heard, and that's all. I can't be sure of anything," he replied in a gruff voice as he sat down on the couch.

Piper continued her pacing motion in the living room in front of Thomas while Phoebe and Paige huddled together in the kitchen. They had all been listening to what Thomas Riland knew about the Chupacabras and only one of them trusted what he had to say…Piper.

"I think he's hiding something," Paige thought trying to control her thoughts so that only Phoebe could hear them.

When Piper threw her an unappreciative glance, Paige knew she had been unsuccessful. Phoebe let her hand slip effortlessly into Paige's. Paige glanced at the cut on Phoebe's eyebrow as Phoebe took in the sight of the bruise on the underside of Paige's jaw. Thomas' words were lost to them as they looked upon one another with tears. Neither of them could believe that less than 24 hours before they had been sparring viciously with one another.

They both offered the other a gentle smile and then returned their attention to Piper and Thomas who were standing face to face in the living room. They had been trying to brainstorm to come up with a viable plan of action against the chupacabras. So far the dark eyed pair had agreed on nothing.

"Look Thomas, You have to be sure. We cannot go in there, guns blazing without being sure."

Riland raised his eyebrows, "You have guns?"

"Of course we have guns," Piper snapped.

Phoebe smirked and finally let go of Paige. She stood in between Piper and Thomas, feeling uncomfortable with the amount of chemistry she felt between the two of them. Phoebe didn't like it. She had been attracted to the dark side, why wouldn't Piper also believe a criminal? She could see Paige nodding in the kitchen.

"You just read my thoughts?" Phoebe asked aloud temporarily forgetting her reason for interrupting the quarreling duo in the living room.

Paige looked as though she had to think about it for a moment and then nodded excitedly, "Yes I did, how did I do that?"

Phoebe shrugged and Piper looked very frustrated, "Hey, can we please deal with our nifty new tricks later? We have to deal with this Chupacabra business so we can kick some Elder ass later."

"What is Elder ass?" Riland asked, still completely intrigued by the whole supernatural essence the girls possessed.

"Nevermind," Piper said, steering the conversation back on track, "So…you did some research on your own and you found out that there is a man who is shipping the chupacabras in from Mexico?"

"Yes. This man, he's your age. They called him 'the organizer'. Seems as though he's very well dressed and groomed.

"Yeah, that's a scary man, what is he going to do? Put us on his to-do list?" Paige thought sarcastically.

Even Piper couldn't help but smile. She had missed Paige's dry sense of humor. She looked at Paige and grinned. Paige returned the gesture.

"What? Is she mentally cracking jokes? Glad to know the swamps didn't steal your sense of humor too, Paige," Thomas said, his voice callous and unconcerned. Paige stopped smiling and looked at the ex-detective with a scowl.

"Look, sorry about the comment but this is serious. He may sound like a geek, but apparently he's bad news, and from what I've gathered…he's not working alone."

"Oh?" Phoebe asked moving back to Paige's side in the kitchen, "Who's his partner in crime?"

Piper followed Phoebe into the kitchen, not so sure she should be standing so closely to Thomas Riland. The three sisters all leaned back against the kitchen counters, their arms crossed over their chests. They could feel the energy running through them. For the first time in months, they felt connected.

Riland took his time answering as he got caught up in staring at the three beautiful women. But it was Piper his eyes lingered on. She shifted uncomfortably under his scrutiny.

"Well, who's Mr. Clean's partner?" Piper asked getting more than irritated.

Riland shifted his gaze uncomfortably to Paige and then back to Piper, "It's a name you're familiar with."

Paige threw her hands up in impatience, tired of waiting for an answer, and getting bored with the suspenseful conversation.

A very small part of Thomas Riland didn't want to be the bad guy. He wanted to tell them everything he knew. He wanted to tell them not to walk right into the trap waiting for them. He wanted to tell Paige to run far away because her rapist's father was hunting her down as though she were game. He wanted to tell Piper that the organizer was a face too familiar to her. And Phoebe. He wished she were stronger. He wanted to save them so that Piper would forever indebted to him. He wanted her.

But the larger part of him told him it was his duty to make them pay. He had his obligations. His life had not been on the up and up for a very long time. It was his fault that the girls were going to be mauled and murdered. He had been the one that told Ben Caldwell's father that Paige had shot him dead. He had not told him that it had been him that had put the silver bullet through Ben's heart.

Paige wished she knew what Thomas Riland was thinking. She knew he was plotting and scheming. She wished she knew why, or with whom. Instead she yawned. She realized that none of them had had more than a few hours of sleep.

"Do you think we can not bust into the Chupacabra hideout until tomorrow or the day after when we're rested, and healed," Paige thought as she looked to Phoebe's arms sadly.

Piper nodded and then looked to Riland, "Is there a place you can stay. A hotel maybe?"

"Yeah, I've got a room less than a mile down the road. Why, what are you thinking?"

"We're all thinking that maybe it would be better to take today and tomorrow to plan this attack. Give us some time to heal and rest. Be better prepared," Piper said her voice heavy with exhaustion.

Thomas nodded, "Yeah, yeah that's a good idea. I'll just go now, and I'll call a little later, be sure you're okay."

Phoebe smirked, "We don't have a phone. Come back tomorrow night at 7pm and we'll be ready to rock and roll."

Paige nodded in agreement with Phoebe. Piper also offered her support by ushering Thomas out the door. She walked him to his car, which was hidden in some bushes several lots away.

_I'm finding my way back to sanity again  
Though I don't really know what  
I'm going to do when I get there  
Take a breath and hold on tight  
Spin around one more time  
And gracefully fall back to the arms of Grace_

"Isn't is weird to you?" Paige asked mentally.

"What?" Phoebe responded her voice loud in the can-like trailer.

"Piper being so obviously attracted to him. What about Leo?"

Phoebe shrugged and frowned, "Maybe Piper is afraid to believe in hope. Maybe it was better off when she didn't know that Leo was alive and in trouble."

"So you think I did the wrong thing by letting you guys in on what happened up there?"

"No Paige, don't think that. We should all tell each other everything as often as possible. It's the only way we can survive together…or apart. As long as we are well informed and have each other then we'll make it. Okay?"

Paige shrugged. Tears shimmered in her bright brown eyes, "I'm just tired of always second guessing everything I think and do. You know. I don't trust myself any more."

"I know the feeling," Phoebe concurred as she slipped an arm around Paige's shoulder and the two of them made their way to Phoebe's room. On the way, they picked up the comforter that had been on the floor from the previous evening. Phoebe piled it up on a chair in her room and then changed into a comfortable pair of sleep shorts and a clean white t-shirt.

Paige left Phoebe's room and came back in wearing black pajama bottoms and a long sleeve red shirt. Phoebe felt sad that Paige had to leave the room to change, not to mention felt that she had to wear clothes that covered all of her. Phoebe slipped into the covers on her bed. Her arms were bruised and the cuts, although not fatal looked a deep scarlet red.

"Don't you burn up in the middle of the night with all those clothes on?" Phoebe asked, trying to get Paige to open up to her.

Paige simply shook her head no and climbed into the bed with Phoebe. They each laid their heads on their pillows and stared at one another. Silently each knew what the other was thinking, and wanting to talk about.

_I am hanging on every word you say  
And even if you don't want to speak tonight  
That's alright, alright with me  
'Cause I want nothing more than to sit  
Outside heaven's door and listen to you breathing  
It's where I want to be_

"You see it every time you touch me don't you?" Paige asked silently.

Phoebe's eyes widened with surprise. She had no idea that Paige had figured that out.

Still in thought, Paige pressed on, "It's obvious. You barely touch me. So, you've seen it all, again and again."

Phoebe nodded, wordlessly.

"Phoebe, has it occurred to you that, that's your powers working?" Paige thought.

Phoebe shook her head, "No it can't be. It's just from before, from that night in the swamps."

Both Phoebe and Paige sat straight up in wild contemplation. "Is it possible?" they both thought.

Phoebe's voice shook with uncertainty, "No it can't be possible, can it? I couldn't have had my powers all this time."

Paige nodded, "Yes you could have. You are a very intuitive person. And our powers are tied to emotions, right. Well, maybe you've been so busy trying to figure out how to help me that you didn't even realize that your powers were working."

"Your powers are working?"

Paige and Phoebe both turned toward the door to see a shocked Piper.

Phoebe answered her, "I don't know. I mean, Paige asked me if I saw visions of her from that night in the swamp and I do, every day, some short scene of that night, and I never realized that what I was seeing could be real. I thought maybe it was my imagination trying to cope with what happened to her. You know?"

"Okay, okay, so, Phoebe, if your powers are somewhat working, and if Leo said your powers are still here, Paige, then where are mine?"

Paige frowned, "Maybe you lost the most."

Piper put on a clean shirt and sat on the bed with her sisters, "I don't think I lost the most, Paige. Frankly I think you lost the most."

Paige shook her head vigorously, "No. I mean, yes, I lost a lot that night, more than I thought possible, but You lost some of me, some of Phoebe, all of Leo, and we're you. At least, your life is about taking care of us, all of us, so you lost the most of yourself, it would explain why your powers aren't anywhere near coming back."

Phoebe nodded, "I have to agree with Paige, Piper. You've been the most shell shocked out of the three of us."

"Can we talk about this later?" Piper asked as she slid under the covers next to Paige putting the youngest sister in the middle of the bed.

Phoebe didn't lay back down. "No damn it, we can't talk about this later. We're having so many problems because we refuse to deal with what happened to all of us in New Orleans. We're busy blaming ourselves, maybe even blaming each other. Too busy to concentrate on healing and therefore getting our damn powers back."

Paige looked at Phoebe with respect, "She's right. We have to talk about it. And we need to talk about it before we face these chupacabras."

_I'm looking past the shadows  
Of my mind into the truth and  
I'm trying to identify  
The voices in my head  
God which one's you?  
Let me feel one more time  
What it feels like to feel  
And break these calluses off me  
One more time _

They sat in a circle on the bed, each facing the other. The three of them had decided that in order to connect they needed to be able to see each other's eyes. Phoebe thought about the Book of Shadows still in the trunk of the Fury. They never removed it and only prayed that the car would never be broken into. She wondered if the Power of Three Spell would bring their powers back to them. As she looked at her sisters, one older, one younger, she never felt more in place than at that moment. When Prue was alive she always felt like an outsider looking in. But there with Paige holding on to one hand, and Piper holding on the other, she felt whole. Almost happy.

_'Cause I am hanging on every word you say  
And even if you don't want to speak tonight  
That's alright, alright with me  
'Cause I want nothing more than to sit  
Outside your door and listen to you breathing  
Is where I want to be_

Phoebe took a deep breath, "I guess I'll start. I felt from the minute I saw you Paige, that I had known you forever. The first time we met, at Prue's funeral, when you shook my hand and I had a premonition, I knew there was something so incredibly special about you. It's why I had the enormous need to help you. And when we found out you were our sister, I was unsure of how to feel about it. I felt as though I betrayed Prue by wanting to know you. But the more I got to know you the more I loved you. The more I needed you to be a part of our life. Not just for the sake of the Charmed Ones, but for the sake of sisters. Of friends. I don't' think I betrayed Prue, I believe I honor her, because she would have loved you as much as I do.

"When I started having those nightmares about you, before you and Piper ever left San Francisco heading for New Orleans, it terrified me. And now I hate myself, because I should have told you, I should have stopped you from going. And I blame myself for what happened to you Paige. Having to see you hurt so badly. Having to see it so vividly…it kills me a little every time."

Phoebe was not crying. She wanted to, she even worked her words around the lump in her throat, but she did not cry. She shifted her gaze from Paige to Piper.

"And Pipe. You've been my best friend since the day I was born. We've shared a bond like no other. When I saw that same bond forming between you and Paige, I became, well, for alack of a better word, jealous. I know it's insane, and I'm very sorry, to both of you. It just took me until the past 24 hours to realize that the bond you share with both of us, is the same bond that Prue shared with you and I. You are our protector, our guide, and our big sister.

"The things I want to apologize for the most are for being so selfish in the last few weeks, and for not telling you, Paige, about my premonitions."

_I don't want a thing from you  
Bet you're tired of me waiting  
For the straps to fall  
Off your table to the ground  
I just want to be here now_

"Some protector I am, Pheebs. I let you fall into semi-darkness without even a word. I let my husband die. Paige, I let you down the hardest though. You got hurt because I couldn't get to you fast enough, because I wasn't careful enough."

Piper allowed her tears to fall. She did not hesitate in dwelling in the small release. She gathered her breath and looked into Paige's eyes.

"Paige, honey, when I hear you scream at night, when your nightmares get the better of you, I know it's because I let you down. I know it's because I wasn't there to stop Ben from hurting you, and I made a promise to you before that. I promised you that no one would ever hurt you again. And still they did. There will never be enough words to describe how incredibly sorry I am for that. But I'm your night guard for as long as you need me. And when you're with me, there will always be someone for you to hold on to."

Piper watched as finally Phoebe began to cry. Her heart soared with the knowledge that Phoebe was feeling everything and that she looked more like the old Phoebe than ever before. She squeezed the middle sisters hand a little tighter.

"And you, kiddo, the next time you don't come to me when you're sad, or hurting, or whatever, I'll kick your scrawny ass. You got it?"

Phoebe smiled at Piper through eyes of tears, "Yeah, I got it."

_'Cause I am hanging on every word you say  
And even if you don't want to speak tonight  
That's alright, alright with me  
'Cause I want nothing more than to sit  
Outside heaven's door and listen to you breathing  
It's where I want to be_

Paige wanted nothing more than to be able to open her mouth and speak. To be able to tell Phoebe and Piper exactly what she thought of their self-blame. Instead she had to rely on her thoughts, thanking whatever powers that be for sending them that special gift.

"Piper, Phoebe…before I think anything about Ben Caldwell and being…well, anyway, I just have to say that the two of you are not responsible in any way for it happening. He was. And he was the only one. You two have been my angels. My purpose. Before you I was lost and alone. I had no one. I was no one. I was some poor helpless brat. Someone who had once been hurt, covered the pain and lost herself in alcohol."

Phoebe had to interrupt, "Yeah, but Paige, you're the one who got you through that, we were only there for the afterwards you."

"Maybe, but I've needed you both more and more everyday. Piper, on our road trip that ended in the hell that is New Orleans you saved me. Not then, it wasn't your destiny to save me in New Orleans. It wasn't my destiny to escape what happened there. But before that, you saved me…don't you know that?"

Piper cocked her head to the side in uncertainty. Paige tried to smile, but found it difficult knowing the things she needed to unburden from her heart. She simply held on to Phoebe and Piper's hands with all her might.

"Yes, you saved me that night when I was able to tell you about the first time Ben Caldwell had ever hurt me. I had never told anyone in my life what had happened. I was too terrified that anyone who knew would think less of me, would be ashamed to know me. But you…you held me as though I was the most important person in the world. You made me feel safe, the safest I had felt in a long time. You gave me that, Piper.

"And when I was in the swamps, when Ben was ra…I can't even think the stupid word, no wonder I can't speak."

She tried to play her hesitation off as a joke, but neither of her older sisters was laughing. Instead, Piper broke their small circle by lying back on the bed, pulling Paige down with her into an affectionate embrace. Phoebe claimed her side of the bed and cuddled in on Paige's left side. She and Piper formed a shelter for her, a shelter of love.

Paige did not fight the gesture and instead took comfort in it. The nightmares of the previous months collided in a cascade of tears. Piper held her tightly as she shook with all the fear dwelling within her. Phoebe laid her tear-soaked cheek near Paige's and whispered calming words to her.

When finally calm took over again, Paige was able to gather her thoughts. She wanted to be able to say the word, to speak the atrocity that had been forced upon her. It ran rampantly through her mind. Calm dissolved into a fresh wave of tears and anguish. With her head buried deep in Piper's shoulder, Paige sobbed.

"I only want to be able to tell you both how much I love you…" Paige spoke through tears. It did not hit any of them immediately that the words were not thought but rather spoken. Then reality sunk in as Paige's voice resounded again through the quiet bedroom in a frenzy of quickly verbalized words.

"I only want to say I love you. I don't have to talk about what he did to me, I mean I know I should, I should tell you how he held me down and tore my soul in two, but you already know that. You already know how much it hurt me, because it hurt you just as much. But I've spent the last months trying to find my voice. And now I don't think I ever will, and all I want to say is that I love you, because my love for you, my sisters, and your love for me…it's all I have, and all I have ever needed."

Paige, still buried in Piper's shoulder was still unaware that she was speaking aloud. But Piper and Phoebe were staring at one another, shell-shocked. Piper gently pulled away from Paige and made Paige sit up, tears and all.

"Baby girl. Do you realize what you just did?" Phoebe smiled at Paige through tears of utter joy, and relief. Her eyes waited expectantly for an answer. Paige shrugged unknowingly.

"What's the one thing you want to tell us, Paige?" Piper asked.

"I love you," Paige said. She covered her mouth with both hands as though she wanted to catch the words and hold on to them as though they were miracles.

"Yeah," Phoebe said as she tucked some of Paige's copper hair behind her ear. "You said them out loud, honey."

She looked as though she were afraid to speak again as though it might be some disappointing fleeting moment in time that would never happen again.

Her voice was hoarse from so little use, but it was Paige none the less, "Do you think this will last?"

Piper and Phoebe nodded, each knowing beyond doubt that their problems were on the horizon of being solved. They cuddled again, tired and ready to sleep. Knowing that not only was the day just really beginning but so were the rest of their lives. They knew that in time, they would talk in depth and detail about the things that had happened to each of them. Their feelings and their losses would be discussed and dealt with, but for that moment, they only wanted to cherish the knowledge that they had heard their baby sister say the only three words they had needed to hear.

"I love you," Paige said again, already half asleep in her sisters' arms. They returned the sentiment and watched over each other as they too fell asleep, garnering their strength for the next night's mission. They all knew that it was a dangerous one, and one they weren't sure they were ready for.

_I am hanging on every word you say  
And even if you don't want to speak tonight  
That's alright, alright with me  
'Cause I want nothing more than to sit  
Outside heaven's door and listen to you breathing  
It's where I want to be_


	8. Chapter 8

Sick Cycle Carousel  
[Song by Lifehouse]

"Come on Paige, give it another sharp kick!" Phoebe growled.

"Arrrrrrrrrrrggggghhhhhhh!!!" It was a half-scream, half roar that came from Paige as she perfected a running kick on the punching back in the backyard. Her voice had not disappeared as they had slept the day away.

"Good girl! Man you kick ass," Phoebe said as she handed Paige her bottled water filled at the sink. Paige sat beside her and nodded with a big smile.

Piper came from inside the house with a tray of burgers and fries, "Here you are girls, food for the soul and energy for the battle."

Phoebe looked at Piper curiously, "We don't do battle until tomorrow night, you know?"

Paige squinted up at Piper and Phoebe from her seated position on the picnic table. The sun was just dropping below the trees surrounding the trailer park and its last bright rays were aimed directly into Paige's eyes. Piper looked down at her little sister and smiled, the sun making her brown eyes glow and her cooper hair look as though it were on fire. She was beautiful.

"Yes, I know we don't do battle until tomorrow night," Piper said placing the tray of food on the table behind Paige. "But I intend on taking good care of my little sisters until we do battle, that way you will nothing but obligation to save my ass if necessary when it comes to us being face to claw with the Chupes."

Paige smirked and then frowned. Phoebe and Piper both noted the change in expression. Piper sat next to Paige and smiled, "You're quiet, no pun intended."

Paige shrugged, but didn't say anything.

Phoebe immediately began to worry, "Is your voice gone again, did I push you too hard out here?"

Paige shook her head no, "I'm sorry, it's nothing."

"Paige, that is not a 'nothing' frown. Now please, speak what's on your mind, because apparently we can't hear your thoughts anymore."

Paige's forehead wrinkled in frustration, "It's stupid, Piper."

Phoebe sat across the table from Paige and Piper, "Paige, nothing you think or say is stupid, honey. Especially not after everything we've been through."

"Yeah," Piper agreed, "And especially after not being able to hear your sweet voice for so long. Now please, what's on your mind?"

Paige hesitated another second before finally clearing her throat, "Do you like him, Piper?"

"Like who?"

Phoebe's shoulders sagged with awareness as she realized where Paige's questions were going to lead. Piper just looked on in confusion as Paige swallowed a lump in her throat and squirmed in her seat, almost regretful she had even brought the subject up.

"Thomas Riland. Do you like him?" Paige whispered.

Piper looked at both of her sisters thoughtfully before answering the question, "He's saved our asses twice, Paige, of course I like him."

Phoebe spoke on behalf of Paige, "What she means, Pipe, is do you really like him, as in, do you find him attractive?"

Piper wasn't sure how to answer the question. She thought back to earlier in the day before they had fallen asleep, when she walked Thomas to his car. There had been an undeniable flow of chemistry between them. It had scared her how much she had wanted him to kiss her, to touch her. But she had resisted the urge to make an advance when an image of Leo on their wedding day popped into her head.

"Well, I guess the hesitation is definitely a yes" Paige said.

Piper shook her head, "We're not here for romance, or even lust. We're here to complete a mission and move on, right?"

Phoebe put her elbows on the table and peered into Piper's brown eyes, "So you're saying you aren't in the least attracted to him?"

"I didn't say that. But even if I were, I wouldn't jeopardize our lives for it. My God, I just lost my husband and you think I'm going to hop in bed with Thomas just because he saved our lives and he is the hottest man I've ever seen?" Piper said, growing defensive with the line of questions.

"Ew," Paige murmured, the loudly she said, "I'm sorry I brought it up, okay? Let's just eat."

Phoebe took a bite of her hamburger while Paige sipped some water. Piper stared angrily at the pile of food on the table. She had lost her appetite. She was upset with the questions, not because they had been asked, but because she hadn't answered them honestly. She was willing to compromise their mission just to be in his arms for one moment.

Piper stood up and moved away from the picnic table, "I'm going for a drive. You two going to be okay here by yourselves?"

Paige raised her eyebrows while Phoebe feigned a hurt expression, "What? Are we in kindergarten? We'll be fine alone, but where are you going?"

"Out," Piper said as she turned on her heels and stormed into the trailer. A few seconds later, Phoebe and Paige heard the Plymouth Fury roar to life and then speed away. They looked at each other, neither of them attempting to eat any more.

"She's going to see him, isn't she?" Paige asked Phoebe with tears in her eyes.

Phoebe nodded and took one of Paige's hands, "She'll be fine, Paige. She'll be fine."

"I know. I don't trust him, Pheebs. I don't think he's going to hurt Piper, you know in that way, but I think that he's not on the up and up, and I think he's going to ultimately be our downfall."

_if shame had a face I think it would kind of look like mine  
if it had a home would it be my eyes  
would you believe me if I said I'm tired of this  
Well here we go now one more time_

Piper let the lone tear slide effortlessly down her face. She passed the motel where Thomas Riland was staying. She had no intentions of going there. But as though fate were her guide, she slammed her foot on the brake and made a u-turn in the middle of the quiet back road.

She pulled into the motel parking lot and slammed the car into park. She couldn't explain her anger, her need to anyone; she just knew it existed inside of her. After speaking to the motel manager on duty, she found herself standing in front of room 9. She knocked furiously on the door until it was finally pulled open.

Piper brushed passed Riland and entered his room. His aftershave was strong in the atmosphere and Piper breathed it in subconsciously. She looked at Thomas and saw that he wore nothing but a pair of jeans, his chest was bare and he had no socks or shoes on. Piper couldn't help but take in his well-toned and defined muscles in his chest and arms. His hair was still wet from what Piper surmised was time spent in the shower.

"Piper? What are you doing here?"

Piper took in the sound of his voice. She wasn't sure if she could trust him or not. She didn't even want to think about it. She just wanted to fall into his strong arms and lose herself.

"Needed…wanted to see you," she could feel her body trembling as Thomas stepped closer to her. She was not afraid of him, but of herself.

Thomas lifted a hand to Piper's cheek and caressed it softly. She melted from the touch. She felt her knees growing weak as her heartbeat increased. Thoughts of Leo threatened to take away the moment of impulsiveness but she pushed it to the back of her head along with the Loup Garou, and any thoughts of Paige's rape and the horror they had seen. Tonight she only wanted to be lost.

Paige took another handful of popcorn from the plastic bowl that sat on the couch between her and Phoebe. They stared at the small black and white television that Phoebe had found at a flea market. Night had come and Paige, still unsure of herself and her fears had insisted that they cuddle together on the couch while watching TV.

"Do you think she's with him," Paige said after swallowing the popcorn she had eaten.

"Yes," Phoebe answered honestly.

"Does that bother you as much as it bothers me?"

Phoebe sighed and looked at Paige, "Yes. It definitely bothers me. But at the same time, I think Piper needs to cut loose for a few hours, you know?"

"You mean sex?" Paige asked her eyes darting toward the ground.

"Possibly," Phoebe looked at Paige attentively. "How does that make you feel, Paige? That Piper might have sex with someone we barely know?"

Paige had to think about it for a moment while she took a drink of Dr. Pepper. She looked to Phoebe and shrugged, "How is that supposed to make me feel?"

Phoebe was surprised that Paige was dodging a question, "Don't answer a question with a question Paige, how does Piper having sex with Thomas Riland make you feel?"

"I don't know," Paige answered honestly. "I think she can do whatever she wants to do and I want her to be happy, I just don't think that's the way."

Phoebe nodded in agreement. She couldn't argue with Paige's logic. She never could.

"It'll be the first time any of us has been with a man in a while, how do you feel about the subject of sex?" Phoebe pried further into Paige's psyche.

"It's not something I'm ready for, Phoebe, if that's what you're asking. I don't know if I'll ever be able to be with anyone again. And it makes me nervous that Piper is out there possibly having sex with a virtual stranger…I mean, what if she wants to stop and he doesn't?"

"Paige, honey? It's not going to be like that for her, or for me. Not all sex is going to be like that, and not all men are going to do what Ben Caldwell did to you."

Paige stood up and turned toward Phoebe, her arms crossed against her chest, "Phoebe, I'm not a child, I know that it's not all bad. And I know that Piper is probably going to be fine, but what if she's not?"

"You're afraid that you'll lose your protector," Phoebe stated.

Paige merely rolled her eyes, trying to figure out why she was feeling so insecure, so displaced. Then it hit her. She knew why she was afraid that Piper might be with Thomas Riland.

***********************************

_I tried to climb your steps I tried to chase you down  
I tried to see how low I could get down to the ground  
I tried to earn my way I tried to change this mind  
you better believe I tried to beat this_

Thomas looked down at the petite woman standing in front of him. Passion rippled through his body as he took in the sight of her long brown hair and her dark brown eyes. The scar she had received in New Orleans gave her the look of sensuality. Thomas knew he would be unable to curb his appetite for Piper. He had wanted her day and night for months.

"Want something to drink?" He asked pointing toward the mini-fridge in the room.

"No, I didn't come to drink. Or talk," her voice said, unwavering.

Thomas' lips were dry as he titled his head downward to kiss Piper. Her lips moved against his feverishly. He slipped his arm around her and pulled her into him. She felt good against his body. He promised himself that it would just be the one time, and afterward it would only be about his mission.

He pulled away from Piper long enough to slip her T-shirt over her head. She allowed him to unclasp her bra and then proceed to fully unclothe her. Thomas couldn't believe that she had come to him. That she had wanted him as much as he had wanted her.

**********************************

"Talk to me Paige. Tell me what you're thinking," Phoebe pleaded.

Paige uncrossed her arms and sat next to Phoebe again. She placed her head in her hands and sighed deeply. She couldn't believe the thoughts that were taking over her mind.

"I'm scared Phoebe. Not really of what he might do to her, well, maybe a little. But I'm terrified that maybe she's moving on with her life, and maybe you are too, and that I'm going to get left behind."

Phoebe's heart broke at the sound of Paige confessing her innermost worries, "Sweetie, don't you know we're never going to leave you behind. We couldn't. You're a part of us. Always."

"I don't think I'm explaining it right. Maybe there is no explanation for the way I feel," Paige said, her head still in her hands.

"I think I know how you feel. It was the way I felt when Piper first started dating Leo. I was a little bit jealous because she was so happy. Not jealous as in I wanted Leo', but jealous because I wanted to be happy too. You know? Does that make sense?"

"I think that's what I'm feeling. Perhaps I'm jealous that Piper is getting a chance to remove herself from this damn hell we've found ourselves in, and I'm afraid I never will find my chance to make that happen. When will I ever stop feeling this way Phoebe?"

"When you give yourself the chance to heal, Paige. When you give yourself a chance to work through the things that happened to you."

_when will this end it goes on and on  
over and over and over again  
keep spinning around I know it won't stop  
till I step down from this for good_

****************************

Piper felt his hands on her bare skin, guiding her down to the motel room bed. She felt the sheets against her naked back. Taking pleasure in every touch, Piper closed her eyes. She knew she was lost.

_I never thought I'd end up here  
I never thought I'd be standing where I am  
I guess I kind of thought it would be easier than this  
I guess I was wrong now one more_

Thomas Riland couldn't believe his luck. Of all the girls who needed to not talk, Piper was the one he had wished would show up on his doorstep. And now he had her where he wanted her, unclothed and completely vulnerable.

_I tried to climb your steps I tried to chase you down  
I tried to see how low I could get down to the ground  
I tried to earn my way I tried to change this mind  
you better believe I tried to beat this_

Piper reached up, pulling Thomas to her. She realized that the dim light from the lamp next to the bed on the nightstand reminded her of Paige's nightlight. She reached to the bedside lamp and turned it off, Leaving she and Thomas to finish what they started in darkness, the only way she knew she could stop being herself for a mere second.

_when will this end it goes on and on  
over and over and over again  
keep spinning around I know it won't stop  
till I step down from this for good_

_This is a sick cycle carousel  
this is a sick cycle, yeah  
this is a sick cycle carousel  
this is a sick cycle, yeah_


	9. Chapter 9

My Tourniquet  
[Song by Evanescence]

_I tried to kill the pain  
but only brought more  
I lay dying  
and I'm pouring crimson regret and betrayal  
I'm dying praying bleeding and screaming  
am I too lost to be saved  
am I too lost?_

Sunlight made its way around the thick yellow curtains of Thomas Riland's motel room. Piper turned her face away from the window to look at the man lying beside her. He was completely naked with exception of the sheet that covered him in just the right area. Piper's head ached with the knowledge of what she had done.

She instantly thought of Paige and Phoebe and knew they were going to be angry with her for staying away the entire night. She also knew that they would know instantly where and with whom she had been. Piper's heart shuddered in pure shame. She had lost herself, that was beyond doubt, now she wondered if she had been too lost.

She quietly pushed herself away from the bed and managed to find all of her clothing without waking up Thomas. She looked at him one more time. He was less appealing in the broad daylight, she thought to herself as she smoothed down her hair and slipped quietly from the room.

She sat in the driver's seat of the Plymouth Fury. She twisted the rearview mirror so that she could see her face. It was streaked with fresh tears. Piper touched her cheeks completely surprised that she was crying. She hadn't even realized that the regret she was feeling had materialized in the form of sadness and tears.

_My God my tourniquet  
return to me salvation  
my God my tourniquet  
return to me salvation_

Phoebe's head ached beyond belief as she struggled to sit up in her bed. She couldn't even remember going to sleep. As the events of the previous 48 hours pounded through her mind, images of Paige flashed through her mind. The last thing she remembered was sitting in the living room with Paige. She had been trying to get Paige to talk about what had happened to her in New Orleans.

Phoebe looked around her room and saw no sign of Paige. She quickly threw her covers back and ran to Piper and Paige's room. Neither of her sisters was there. She decided to check the entire trailer and surrounding area before panicking. Terror settled in after Phoebe realized that Paige was no where in sight. She had a good idea of where Piper was, but Paige wouldn't have left her side.

Then she remembered, she had had a premonition the night before. A vision unlike any she had ever had. It had been so strong that her nose had started bleeding. It had knocked her unconscious. But as Phoebe tried to recall the vision her mind drew a blank.

"Think Phoebe, and think hard. What happened," she pleaded with herself as she picked up Paige's ball cap from the floor, hoping for another premonition. Phoebe couldn't believe that her power was back in ful-force. She lifted her arms slightly and felt the air dance beneath her feet.

"Okay, that's good, that's very good, now where is my sister?" She yelled to the ceiling, unaware that she was being watched.

_do you remember me  
lost for so long  
will you be on the other side  
or will you forget me  
I'm dying praying bleeding and screaming  
am I too lost to be saved  
am I too lost?_

Piper threw the car into park and got out slamming the door. She was unconcerned about the fact that it was only seven in the morning. She became immediately worried when she saw that the front door to the trailer was open. She quickened her pace to get to the front door. She continued into the trailer with caution, terrified of what she might find.

She peered around the door and was astounded to find Phoebe floating a foot off the ground. She nearly tackled Phoebe into a hug.

"You've got your power back? When did this happen? Phoebe?"

Phoebe pushed Piper away from her forcibly, "Where in the hell were you?"

Piper's excited smile melted away making room for a grim, tight-lipped expression, "You know where I went."

Phoebe shook her head and turned away from Piper. When she felt Piper's hand on her shoulder, she shook it off and turned and pushed her older sister hard, making her fall to the linoleum kitchen floor.

"Paige is gone, Piper. Gone."

Piper looked up at Phoebe. She didn't dare to move from her place on the floor. Her voice was laden with ill-worry, "What do you mean gone, Phoebe?"

Phoebe's face expressed her disbelief, "What else does gone mean, she's not here, Piper."

"Where in the hell did she go, Phoebe?" Piper asked finally pushing herself off the floor and coming face to face with Phoebe.

"I don't know. While you were getting your thrills off, I had a major premonition and I passed out from it. I don't remember anything until I woke up with a headache this morning."

Piper was solemn, "It's my fault she's gone."

Phoebe knew it was a statement instead of a question. And as much as Phoebe wanted to comfort Piper, she couldn't help but feel slightly betrayed by her sister's actions.

"Yes, it's your fault, Piper. My God you said it yourself. Even if you were attracted to him you wouldn't jeopardize our lives for it. But you did, Piper. I don't know who, or what has Paige. All I know is that the last thing I remember saying to her was that she had to give herself a chance to heal from the things that had happened to her, and now she's out there and the same things could be happening to her again, and had you been here you might have been able to prevent it."

_My God my tourniquet  
return to me salvation  
my God my tourniquet  
return to me salvation_

He continued to peer into the trailer window, conscious of everything that had occurred the night before, but powerless to stop it from happening. He had smiled as Phoebe lifted herself off the ground using her power of levitation. He dropped his smile as soon as he saw Piper walk in, clothes rumpled. He knew where she had been. He listened to Phoebe and Piper argue, his heart in turmoil. He wasn't sure who he should help first. His mind thought of the third sister, the youngest. It was Paige who he wanted to save first. He silently crept away from the trailer knowing exactly where to look for her.

_my wounds cry for the grave  
my soul cries for deliverance  
will I be denied Christ  
tourniquet  
my suicide_

Piper's stomach churned in the thoughts that she had sacrificed her sisters' safety for one night of non-existence. Piper was desperate for a solution. As she was lost in thought an idea occurred to her. She picked up a ceramic plate from the kitchen and hurled it at Phoebe. Phoebe's eyes grew wide in shock as the disc flew toward her head leaving her no time to duck or take cover. She closed her eyes hoping for the best. When she didn't feel the plate hitting her, or hear breaking glass, she dared to open her eyes.

The plate was frozen in front of her. Piper stood across the room, a smug look of satisfaction on her face. Phoebe realized everything she had said to Piper. She hadn't meant any of it. It had been her own sense of failure that made her lash out at Piper.

"Come over here Phoebe," Piper said as she motioned for Phoebe with her hand. Phoebe moved around the frozen plate and stood next to her sister. Piper flicked her wrist and the plate fractured into a million flying pieces. It was dust.

"I guess Piper's got her groove back," Phoebe smirked as she looked at her older sister. Piepr didn't smile but stared helplessly at her and Paige's bedroom door.

"Piper, I'm sorry for what I said. I didn't mean…"

"Let's just find Paige, Phoebe. We can deal with what I did later."

They turned toward the front door, not sure of where they were going, when they saw that Thomas Riland was leaning against the doorframe. Phoebe looked at Piper curious to see her reaction. She saw in Piper's eyes that Piper regretted her every second with Thomas Riland.

"Where you girls off to? Don't we have a plan of attack to work out for tonight?"

Phoebe knew that Paige had been right. Thomas Riland was not trust worthy. She eyed him suspiciously, before going to her room for a change of clothes and some weapons leaving Piper alone to work through whatever she had to work through.

When Phoebe was gone, Riland smiled, "Where Paige?"

Piper flinched at the sound of Paige's name, "She's not here."

"I can tell. Where'd she go?"

"We don't know."

Thomas' smirk faded, "Was she taken?"

"Why would that be the first thing you mention?" Piper asked wondering what Riland's motives were the entire time.

"Because after everything Paige has been through, she can't be alone can she, so if she's not with you two then it only leaves one option, she's been taken."

Piper nodded, "We don't know who has her."

Thomas hesitated wondering how much of himself he should reveal. He looked longingly at Piper, knowing that their night together was going to be their only night together. Piper was already regretting it, that much he could tell.

"I know who has her," he admitted, ready for the fallout.

Phoebe walked out of her room and into the living room in time to hear Thomas' last words. She looked at him with hate, and Piper took her hand.

"Where is she Riland?" Phoebe asked, not caring to beat around the bush.

"The man who hired me, he must have taken her."

Piper actually felt her heart stutter as she was pierced by his betrayal. She had expected nothing but betrayal from him, but she hadn't realized that her hopes had been raised.

"Who hired you, and for what?" Phoebe continued.

"Look, I don't know his name, I've never seen his face. All I know is that when I quit the force in New Orleans, a messenger showed up on my doorstep. There was an invitation. The cop in me was curious. So I went to this house in New Orleans. I was instructed to sit in the living room and wait. So I did. A voice came over some sort of intercom system and told me to open the bag to my right. Sure enough there was a bag to my right, so I opened it. Inside there was $100,000. I asked the voice what the money was for. He said he had a job for me. I told him I wasn't into that sort of business. He said all I had to do was follow you girls make sure no one hurt you. So I did, I followed you from New Orleans, to San Francisco to Miami. Earlier this week, I got a phone call form him, he only said to be sure that you girls show up at the warehouse tonight."

"You were luring us into a trap?" Piper asked completely appalled at her lack of judgment.

"Yes. No. I don't know. Look, all I know is that I wanted a fresh start and $100,000 is a lot of money to a broke ex-cop. I'm sorry Piper, I'm sorry and I'll never forgive myself if something happens to your sister again."

Phoebe stepped in front of Piper, not even wanting to see if Piper was going to buy his story, "Save your I'm so sorry crap, Riland. Your greediness may have cost us a sister."

"Maybe, Phoebe, but my honesty is going to give you the only chance you've got at getting her back. They don't know that I've told you. They don't know that now you're expecting the unexpected. Please, let me help you get Paige back, and then I'll be out of your lives forever. Please."

Piper, arms crossed over her chest, nodded toward Phoebe's duffel bag, "Got any weapons, Detective Riland, you're going to need them."

**************************************

He watched her as she tossed in her drug-induced sleep. Her copper hair was like fire against the bright white sheets and pillow. Her body was bare, covered by a silk comforter. He let his fingertips rest against one another as he continued to watch her through a two-way mirror. Everything in the room was bright white, with the exception of Paige. Sterile, he liked everything clean.

He thought about the two parts of revenge he was exacting. Satisfying not only his need for vengeance, but his partner's as well. His own plan of revenge was to hurt Piper Halliwell, not by killing her immediately, but by making her suffer through the torture of her sister. And then he would kill Paige, leaving his associate's need sated. It was Paige's fault that his associate's son was dead.

He smiled at Paige as she turned again in her sleep. Her hands balled into fists around the white comforter. Beads of fear-induced sweat covered her body. Her whimpers reached his ears, giving him the greatest of pleasures. He knew what she was dreaming about. He always knew.


	10. Chapter 10

Somewhere I belong  
[Song by Linkin Park]

_When this began  
I had nothing to say  
And I'd get lost in the nothingness inside of me  
I was confused  
And I'd let it all out to find  
That I'm not the only person with these things in mind  
Inside of me  
When all the vacancy the words revealed  
Is the only real thing that I've got left to feel  
Nothing to lose  
Just stuck, hollow and alone  
And the fault is my own and the fault is my own _

"Just close your eyes and feel the pain."

The voice was soothing, and deep, like a hypnotist. Paige could hear it echo off the chambers of her mind. She was in the dark and she was afraid. The voice spoke to her again, asking her to move back in time to the day her parents died. Unwillingly her thoughts drifted backwards in a flurry of light and dark flashes. Images screamed at her as she fell backwards in time. Then she was there.

Fire. So hot, so destructive. The car was in flames and Paige felt herself standing in the middle of the road, a witness once again to the tragedy of her life. Screams burned through her ears. She looked around at the people staring at her wondering what miracle had saved the girl from the accident.

It was her screams she was hearing. Pleading with God, with anyone to help her parents. But there was no help to be had. They were gone, forever. Paige felt the pain in her heart, as though she was there again, her world breaking from the loss.

"You should have stopped them, Paige. It's your fault, isn't it?"

The voice brought her back to the darkness again. She felt as though she were floating. Paige knew she had to be dreaming, but as much as she tried to find a way out, she had no success.

"Paige, go back again, later than the accident, to college. Hear the music, the pounding. Hear their laughter. They know where he's taking you, and what he's going to do with you. Why didn't you?"

Her breath was short, labored as she fell again through space and time. The images blurring, distorting, and then sharpening again. She was at the party. She felt herself walking away from Ben after he had offered her drugs. She touched the piece of paper he gave her. Her world became a tunnel of loud reverberations and soft faces.

She felt her back on the floor of the basement den. Hurting, like no other. Paige wanted to break away from the image, wanted to fight everything she saw, everything she knew, but she was a prisoner of her own memories.

"Feel him Paige."

Something in Paige's mind clicked. She suddenly knew that the voice was controlling her thoughts, influencing her memories. She fought her way through her subconscious. She became aware of her body. It felt sluggish. She knew she had been drugged. Paige remembered the previous night. Phoebe had had a premonition and passed out. Paige had managed to half carry, half drag Phoebe to her bedroom and put her in the bed. As she had turned out the lights and turned to go back to the kitchen, she was stopped in the hallway by an intruder dressed in all black wearing a ski mask. He had injected her with a needle, and covered her mouth before she ever had a chance to scream.

Paige tried to feel her way through the chemical fog. She could feel the cool sensation of silk against her bare skin. She knew she was naked. A situation she did not like. The voice continued to try to control her memories. She blocked out the sounds, and keeping her eyes shut she pretended to be lost in a nightmare.

His words slipped into her mind regardless. Beckoning her to flee to the swamps, to cry out for her sister only to be left to the machinations that were Ben Caldwell. Paige found it harder to struggle against the voice, so she thought of the one thing that could hold her to sanity, her sisters.

_I wanna heal  
I wanna feel  
What I thought was never real  
I want to let go of the pain I felt so long  
Erase all the pain till its gone  
I wanna heal  
I wanna feel  
Like I'm close to something real  
I want to find something I've wanted all along  
Somewhere I belong_

He watched her, knowing perhaps she was lost in a dark world of screams and pain. He smiled. Her face was flooded with tears although her eyes were still shut. He knew he would never have to touch her in order to torture her to death. The simple act of mental cruelty would drive her to her own undoing.

He turned off the intercom and picked up his cellular phone. When the familiar deep voice of Ben Caldwell's father picked up, he turned away from the two-way mirror and the image of the tormented youngest Halliwell sister.

"Did you get her?" His associate asked.

"She's being dealt with as we speak," he said picking a speck of lint from his sleeve.

"Good. How did you find the memories to plant?"

"Easy, we took her journal. She's written about everything in her life. Apparently the few months without a voice drove her to write constantly. The girl is going to be easy to breakdown."

"What about her sisters? Will you have the resources to take care of your own problem?"

"Thank you for worrying about me, and yes, the resources are here. My inside man will be bringing the other two to me tonight."

"Can he be trusted?"

"Probably not, but who can," he said glancing back at Paige. She was still in the all-white room, her face contorted into an expression of shear terror.

"Will you need me there?"

"No. If by some miniscule chance things should go wrong, and I don't make it out of this alive, then I want there to be someone in this filthy world that can see to it that these girls are put to their deaths."

He said his goodbyes and received a word of encouragement from his associate. He turned on a radio system that bled music into the all-white room. Hard-hitting heavy metal reverberated through the house. He grinned as he saw Paige turn more shades of pale than she already had. He knew the music was the trick. Korn's song 'Blind' thumped wildly in his ears. He couldn't help but laugh as Paige screamed out for her oldest sister.

_And I've got nothing to say  
I can't believe I didn't fall right down on my face  
I was confused  
Looking everywhere only to find  
That it's not the way I had imagined it all in my mind  
So what am I  
What do I have but negativity  
Cause I cant justify the way everyone is looking at me  
Nothing to loose  
Nothing to gain, hollow and alone  
And the fault is my own and the fault is my own _

Paige was lost again in the dark world of her past. The molded-mildewed smell of the shack in the swamps was suffocating her. Weight was holding her down. His face was above hers. She was losing. She screamed out for Piper as she had done in the swamps. It was too late.

Again she fought the memory. She cried out again and again in mental anguish. She was stronger than the power of a memory. And she knew it. The music blared throughout the room, almost drowning out the sounds of her screams. She fought so hard against the memory that she managed to open her eyes and take in the harshly bright room.

Her breath was caught in her throat, making her choke. She sat up coughing, taking the comforter with her. She knew the mirror in the room was a two-way, and she knew that she was some type of experiment. She only wondered how they would know the things they wanted to make her remember.

She thought hard of the room on the other side of the mirror. And felt her molecules dissolve into blue fantastic light. She reformed in the control room. She was more than relieved to see that it was empty. She didn't know what was on the other side of the control room door but she wasn't going to risk staying put either. She needed to get out, and needed to get to her sisters.

She tried to orb to her sisters but what little of her Whitelighter senses that were working were scrambled. She could tell that Phoebe and Piper were on the move. She had a fleeting thought of Piper and Thomas Riland and prayed that he had not hurt her.

Paige slowly opened the door and peeked around the frame. No one was in the long hallway. Paige looked up. A high sheet-metal ceiling indicated that she was in a warehouse. The knowledge reassured Paige, because she knew in her heart that whoever had taken her was the same person that Thomas Riland had told her about. It had to be Ben's' father.

Paige made her way through the maze of rooms and hallways quietly. The silk comforter was still wrapped tightly around her body. She was about to turn a corner when she heard voices, two men.

"I want to make sure that the little monsters are very hungry before our other girls get here. So please go to the holding area and make sure they're feisty."

Paige recognized the voice as her tormentor. Anger seeped through her veins ready for a chance to explode. She listened as the other voice, apparently just a guard of some type, took his orders and walked away. Paige tried to get a glimpse of the linen-suited man, but all she saw was his back, going into an office of some type.

She decided to save him for last and instead followed the guard. She followed him through the twists and turns. The guard stopped at an elevator. Paige looked up again, staring in puzzlement at the ceiling. There was no elevator shaft above her. She knew the only place he was going was down.

_I wanna heal  
I wanna feel  
What I thought was never real  
I want to let go of the pain I felt so long  
Erase all the pain til its gone  
I wanna heal  
I wanna feel  
Like I'm close to something real  
I want to find something I've wanted all along  
Somewhere I belong _

The Organizer picked up the picture from his desk. He and Piper stood next to one another, smiling, happy. At least he thought she'd been happy with him. He hated the man he was then, weak, too trusting, too nice. He ran a hand through his buzz cut, brown hair. He remembered when it had been longer, always in his eyes. No wonder he never saw clearly, he thought as he threw the picture across the room.

It crashed into the wall. He smiled as it fell to the floor.

"So it shall be done," he whispered as he sat back in his chair.

_I will never know  
Myself until I do this on my own  
And I will never feel  
Anything else, until my wounds are healed  
I will never be anything  
till I break away from me  
I will break away  
I'll find myself today _

Paige whispered to the guard, "Hey buddy, wouldn't happen to have a weapon on you would you?"

The guard turned around, surprised but completely in control. He pulled a stun gun from his belt and shrugged toward Paige.

"Depends, show me yours and I'll show you mine," he said with a devious grin.

"How about this…stun gun," Paige called for the weapon and was more than relieved when it landed in her hand. Before the guard could recover from his shock she planted the weapon on his neck. He was out cold in seconds.

As Paige began to unbuckle his pants and unbutton his shirt she had to smirk, "Guess you'll be showing me yours after all."

The guard was undressed with the exception of boxer shorts and knee-high black socks. Paige stood over him dressed in his black dress pants. They were more than baggy on her, but managed to stay put on her hips. His t-shirt covered her bare chest and his crisp white dress shirt swallowed her. She rolled up the sleeves still hating the fact that she was barefoot.

She shrugged off the adversity and quickly pressed the elevator button. She was happy that it didn't ding when it opened. She quickly dragged the still-unconscious guard into the elevator with her and clipped the stun gun to the waistband of her new pants.

She looked for the buttons on the elevator. The only buttons inside were G, which she knew meant ground, and 13. Paige shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"This better be a lucky 13, damn it." It was a half prayer as she pressed the 13 button and felt the elevator begin a slow decent. Paige had no clue as to what awaited her.

_I wanna heal  
I wanna feel  
What I thought was never real  
I want to let go of the pain I felt so long  
Erase all the pain till it's gone  
I wanna heal  
I wanna feel  
Like I'm close to something real  
I want to find something I've wanted all along  
Somewhere I belong _


	11. Chapter 11

Price to Play  
[song by Staind]

Phoebe's legs were shaky as she motioned for Piper to follow her steps. Thomas Riland was standing guard by the car, ordered to wait there for them to return. Phoebe and Piper were both in full-power capacity. The night loomed heavily over them. Piper took her place next to Phoebe.

"Are you sure we're ready for this?" Piper whispered.

"No. But we can't leave Paige in there alone can we?"

Piper shook her head somberly, "Of course not."

Piper was still feeling the tremendous guilt that her one night with Thomas had caused her. She felt Phoebe's hand on hers and looked down. She nodded, they both took a deep breath, and burst through a window of the warehouse. Piper immediately rolled to a standing position and made the motion to freeze everything.

Phoebe and Piper couldn't tell if it had worked or not, the place seemed empty. Phoebe looked on in awe of the doors in front of her. She knew that behind the doors was a maze. Piper read the look of frustration on Phoebe's face.

"Pheebs," she whispered, "Look up, the walls don't go all the way up, right?"

"True."

"Then levitate up there and see if you can find Paige that way."

Phoebe raised an eyebrow at her, "Piper, sweetie, I levitate I don't fly."

Piper sighed, "Damn it. I wish we had the ability to orb right now…or at least sense where she is."

_Failed to see,  
How destructive we can be.  
Taking without giving back,  
Till the damage can be seen,  
Can you see?  
Can you see?_

Paige waited for anxiously for the elevator to stop moving. She kept an eye on the unconscious guard the entire time, hitting him once more with the stun gun, for good measure. When she finally felt it stop she gathered a deep breath and stood to the side of the elevator so that when the doors opened she would not be instantly visible. The doors slid open with only a slight swoosh.

She peeked around to the floor that waited outside the elevator. She was completely astounded to see that it was rock. Her eyes grew wide when she realized that the elevator's final destination was a cave. She swallowed the knot of fear in her throat when she heard a loud shrill scream. It was familiar to her.

She looked into the cave further, glad to see it devoid of any human presence. Looking up toward the ceiling, her heart stalled as she realized that there were ten Chupacabras hanging from the ceiling like bats.

She dared to step into the cavern. The cold rock floor chilled her bare feet. Shivers ran up her spine as she kept her eyes on the beasts. She glanced toward the dull yellow lights illuminating tunnels and doors. Still there was no human presence. She knew that the guard she had knocked unconscious was coming to warn someone not to feed the Chupacabras. Paige wondered where they were.

She slipped out of the large cave and into the first tunnel to her right. Slowly she made her way through the dimly lit passageway. She traveled it for the length of a football field before it finally led to another large cavern. Empty cages filled the room. Paige stopped breathing momentarily as she counted the empty cages.

"Oh…that's bad," she whispered to herself as she ended the count at thirty-four. She wondered where the rest were.

_The more you take,  
The more you blame,  
But everything still feels the same.  
The more you hurt,  
The more you scream,  
The price you play to play the game,  
Then all you see,  
And all you gain,  
And all you step on with the shame,  
There are no rules,  
No one to blame,  
The price to play the game._

Phoebe and Piper wandered aimlessly through the halls and rooms. They came to the room where the Organizer had been trying to mentally torment Paige. Phoebe walked into the pristine white room and laid her hand upon the pillow. Instantly she was thrown into a mind-warping premonition. As she came out of it, she looked at Piper, who returned her stare.

Piper looked at Phoebe's pale face and trembling hands. "Are you okay? What did you see?"

Phoebe sat on the edge of the bed, "Paige. She was in this room. Someone had her, his voice was coming through…" Phoebe paused as she looked around the room. She then stood and placed her hand on a wall where a white speaker was embedded.

"Coming through here. He sounded so familiar Piper."

"Could it have been Mr. Caldwell? Could he have just sounded like Ben?"

"I don't know. No, I don't think so. The voice was familiar as in 'once upon a time' familiar, you know?"

"Okay, we don't have time to worry about who he is right now. You saw Paige, was she okay?"

Phoebe looked up at Piper, her lips trembling, "She was crying, screaming, he was taking her back to the past. Through memories. She was having nightmares."

"That bastard."

Piper grabbed Phoebe's hand and they exited the room. They made more twists and turns finally coming to a dead end. Piper threw her hands up in frustration.

"Where in the hell are the bad guys, Phoebe?"

"I don't know, do you think Riland could have sent us into a trap?"

"No, I don't. Well…at least I don't think so. God, I really wish Leo could hear us right now, he'd know what to do."

_Empathy, the chosen way to be,  
Blindly look the other way,  
While you waste away with me,  
Can you see?  
Can you see?_

Paige heard footsteps coming toward her in the cavern with the cages. The footsteps were soft, deliberately quiet. Paige felt a familiar presence as a man entered the cave. She had the stun gun ready to attack him, when he turned around and saw her.

His face shocked her more than she ever thought it could. She couldn't believe he was standing before her. She had wondered quietly if she would get to see him again. To say thank you. He smiled at her. She felt no threat what-so-ever. It was a smile filled with kindness and sincerity.

Her hands were shaking despite her lack of fear. She did not smile back, but she did make eye contact to speak, "Why are you here?"

His voice was soothing, "You can talk again?"

Paige nodded, "Yes, why are you here?"

"I've been watching you, trying to make sure you're safe. I'm not always good at what I do, I guess," he said referring to the empty cages.

"Do you know if my sisters are here anywhere?"

He shook his head, "No, Piper and Phoebe, they're not down here with us. There were more guards, but the chupacabras…well…they ate them."

Paige didn't hide her discomfort, "You saw it?"

"Yes, I did."

"I'm sorry," was her whispered answer.

"I've seen worse," he stated as he hung his head in embarrassment.

"You mean what happened to me?"

"Yes."

_The more you take,  
The more you blame,  
But everything still feels the same.  
The more you hurt,  
The more you scream,  
The price you play to play the game,  
Then all you see,  
And all you gain,  
And all you step on with the shame,  
There are no rules,  
No one to blame,  
The price to play the game._

As though Piper's wish were granted the space next to her filled with blue orbs. Her heart raced with love and need all at the same time as Leo's face and body became fully visible. Piper wanted to fight the urge to throw her arms around his neck and cry. She knew as soon as she saw his sad green eyes, that he knew of her actions with Thomas Riland.

"Leo? Is it really you?" She managed to murmur.

Leo nodded, "Paige is alive, but she's about to be in big trouble."

Phoebe cocked her head to the side and gave Leo a look of annoyance; "It's all business with you, eh?"

Leo frowned deeply, "What's more important, questions that can be asked and answered later or saving your sister?"

Phoebe and Piper nodded in agreement and each took Leo's hand as he orbed them out of the hallways. They reappeared next to the elevator. Leo quickly pressed the elevator button.

"Leo, why don't you just orb us to where ever Paige is?" Phoebe asked impatiently.

"Because where she is…it's like being in the underworld."

Phoebe looked at him suspiciously and then to Piper who made no eye contact with either of them. Phoebe could feel the shame burning on her face. She touched Piper's shoulder lightly and made her look at her. When Piper finally lifted her head and brought her brown eyes to meet Phoebe's, Phoebe smiled.

"We're going to make it through this. All of us, together."

Piper nodded, and took a deep breath, shaking off her self-indulgent thoughts and pity. She looked at Leo, her head held high, "What is this place Leo, and who are we up against? Who is this 'organizer' person?"

"I don't really know who he is. He's here somewhere, but we don't have the time to find him. All I know is that I saw Paige get on the elevator, I was only watching her to make sure she was okay. She seems to be holding her own. She stun-gunned a guard with his own stun gun and then put on his clothes."

"You watched her get dressed?" Piper asked without thinking.

Leo glared at her, "You're the one hooking up with naked strangers. And no I didn't watch her get dressed, I turned my head, and that's when she slipped into the elevator and went down to wherever it goes. I tried to sense her, but I couldn't, like when you guys are in the underworld. Must be a lot of rock or something. I don't know."

As Leo turned toward the opening elevator, Phoebe leaned her head close to Piper's and whispered, "Does he sound like the confident Leo we once knew?"

Piper raised her eyebrows to indicate that he did not. Leo looked back at them with a stare of seriousness, "I've been through a lot in the last few months."

Piper was angry at his statement and began to scold him as she passed him to get on the elevator, "Always about you isn't it Leo? Don't you think we've been through a lot too? Huh? Don't you?"

Piper was pressing her index finger into Leo's chest, tears threatening to fall. Leo was staring intently into Piper's eyes, while Phoebe was looking at the downed guard, still lying lifelessly on the elevator floor. She smirked, knowing it was her little sister who had done that to the guard.

Phoebe looked at the elevator buttons, "Oh, god…unlucky 13, how much more is this damn mission going to suck?"

She pressed the 13 button and as Leo and Piper continued their staring match, the doors slid shut, leaving Phoebe to wonder what awaited them.

_Once you pay to play the game,  
Once you pay to play the game,  
Once you pay to play the game,  
Once you pay to play the game!_

He looked at the clock. He wondered how twenty minutes could have passed without him knowing it. He remembered Piper's power, and then he knew that she was nearby. He also knew that she must have frozen the entire warehouse. He quickly grabbed a shiny revolver from his desk. After popping the bones in his neck, he left to find her. He could feel in his heart that all the players were there, within his grasp. His game had begun. Revenge was his only desire.

_The more you take,  
The more you blame,  
But everything still feels the same.  
The more you hurt,  
The more you scream,  
The price you play to play the game,  
Then all you see,  
And all you gain,  
And all you step on with the shame,  
There are no rules,  
No one to blame,  
The price to play the game._

Paige stared at the back of his head as they walked through the corridors. His face hadn't changed much since she had seen him. She followed closely behind him as they reentered the main chamber. They both heard the elevator approaching. Without thinking, he grabbed Paige's hand and quickly ran down another tunnel.

Paige struggled against the tactile sensation of his rough hands. When they were well into another passageway, he let go of her hand, and shook his head sadly.

"I'm so sorry, Paige, I wasn't thinking. I shouldn't have grabbed you like that."

Paige tried to smile despite the renewed fear coursing through her veins, "It's okay. You're helping me."

They entered another new cavern and stopped to look at one another once more. Paige was afraid of his very nature, but her curiosity, her gratitude, it drove her to reach her hand out to him. She only wanted to say thank you.

As he reached his hand to hers a shrill scream resounded through the chilled cave air. Paige saw it coming for them out of the corner of her eyes. A chupacabra larger than the others in the entrance cave, swooped through the air, its fangs and claws bared, ready to strike. Paige saw that it was heading straight for her rediscovered savior. Just before it could barrel into him, its wings flapping, Paige dove in its way, calling out for him to duck. The chupacabra sliced through Paige's stomach leaving her lying on the ground, bleeding.

He quickly pulled her back into the tunnel they had come from. He ripped off his shirt leaving him in only a white-shirt and he held it tightly to her wound.

"Paige? Paige, please, we'll get your sisters. Just hang on, okay."

"Her eyes pleaded with his to not leave her alone, she knew the wound was deep, deadly. She reached a shaking hand to his cheek and touched it lightly, unafraid. As darkness consumed her, she managed to whisper his name, softly, as though it were a prayer.

"Jack Bijou."

_Once you pay to play the game,  
Once you pay to play the game,  
Once you pay to play the game,  
Once you pay to play the game!_


	12. Chapter 12

Adrenalin  
[Song by P.O.D.]

_You don't feel the pain (pain, pain, pain)  
Too much is not enough  
Nobody said this stuff, made any sense  
We're hooked again  
The point of no return  
See how the buildings burn, light up the night  
such a pretty sight_

The shrill cries of the chupacabras swarming in the adjoining cavern made it impossible for Jack to hear what Paige was whispering through the blood appearing at the corners of her mouth. He couldn't believe he had come this far only to have her ripped away from him by the dark winged creatures.

He leaned his head in closer to hers; her breath was soft and warm against his cheek. He did not show the tears that were fighting their way to the surface. Jack stayed strong for Paige.

"Tell my sisters…tell them that I…" she struggled to breath, to speak.

"What? What Paige? Tell them what?"

"Tell them that I love them and that it's not their fault."

Jack stared into her brown eyes, wary of the life slipping out of them. His heart ached with the helplessness that he felt. He covered Paige as a lone chupacabra sped past them, its cry hanging in the echoing tunnel. He could feel her heartbeat weakening beyond a surviving rate. Before a single tear managed to make its way down his cheek, he heard a loud voice from the other end of the tunnel, near the main chamber.

"Paige! Paige, where are you?" He recognized the voice as that of the oldest sister.

"She's in here! Hurry!" His voice was loud enough to carry through the tunnel and over the sound of the chupacabra noise.

He heard their footsteps come closer. As he saw their shadows and silhouettes he realized there was a man with the two older sisters. He didn't recognize him.

The sight of the man guarding their sister shocked piper and Phoebe. They ignored their amazement and rushed to Paige's side the minute they saw her bleeding and struggling for life. Phoebe slipped her hand under Paige's head and pulled her up enough so that she could slide her legs beneath Paige, giving her little sister support. Piper looked at Leo and Leo immediately dropped to his knees beside his sister-in-law.

The glow from Leo's outstretched hands cast eerie shadows upon the rock walls of the tunnel. The amber light took several minutes to work but when it did Paige opened her eyes and took in the beautiful sight of her sisters.

"It's about time you two got here," she said her voice raspy with emotion.

"Yeah, well, we had to stop and get gas and then we had to chat with Leo for a minute…you know, that kind of thing," Phoebe's tone was light, hiding the fact that she was still concerned by the fact that Jack Bijou was with Paige.

"Leo?" Paige asked looking up into the caring green eyes of her healer.

"Hi," was his only response as he stood up, smiling at her.

Piper begrudged Paige for the smile Leo gave her, but quickly dropped it, knowing that had she not spent the night with Thomas then she would be on the receiving end of a smile as well. She reached her hand out to Paige and helped her stand up. As she pulled Paige into a hug, she looked at Jack over Paige's shoulder.

"Thank you for trying to help her again," Piper's said, her voice overwhelmed with sincerity.

"Don't thank me. It's my only purpose in life, making sure she's safe."

The declaration unnerved the middle Halliwell. Phoebe placed her hand on Paige's back. Paige pulled away from Piper and slipped one arm around Phoebe's shoulders, and the other around Piper's. The three of them walked ahead of Jack and Leo. They moved toward the main cavern and the only exit to the underground chupacabra dwelling.

_Adrenaline keeps me in the game  
Adrenaline, you don't even feel the pain  
Wilder, than your wildest dreams  
When your going to scream, you taste adrenaline_

As they entered the large entrance chamber, chupacabras were swarming everywhere. Squeals were deafening. The sisters and the two men they were with dropped to the ground on their stomachs.

"What are we going to do about them?" Phoebe yelled above the noise.

Piper looked around. She noticed wooden boxes along the wall of the cave. Three letters were printed across the crates. She tapped Paige on the arm and pointed toward the boxes. Paige's eyes grew wide with acknowledgement. Phoebe followed their gaze and smiled.

Piper stood up, throwing her hands into the air. The entire cavern froze leaving a silence that was even more unnerving than the shrill screams of the vicious animals. Paige and Phoebe stood up next to Piper and smiled. Leo and Jack also stood dusting themselves off.

Phoebe looked at the crates, "Do we have enough time to get out of here if we use this?"

Piper looked to Leo, "Can you orb us out of here?"

"Not from here, no. Maybe if we get into the elevator shaft. Maybe then I can orb us to the main level and then orb again to get us completely out of the building."

"Paige, what about you? Are you able?" Phoebe asked.

Paige grinned, "Yeah, I've got all my powers back."

Piper's face grew dim, "Leo, Jack, the two of you go to the elevator and get the ceiling panel open so we can crawl through and get out of here. Then Leo, I want you to get Jack, Paige and Phoebe out of here. You can come back for me, if there's time."

"What?" Paige asked, her voice filled with absolute consternation, "Piper there's no way in hell we're all leaving you down here with the chupacabras and a crapload of TNT. No way in hell."

Phoebe stepped toward the oldest sister, "Pipe, it doesn't matter about last night, okay? You don't have to die to save us. Please. There's got to be another way."

Piper was growing weary, "Look, I don't know how long my freeze will last in here, if I go out first then they will unfreeze leaving whoever's left to suffer the consequences. Me being the one to stay behind and light the fuses…it's the only option."

_And you don't feel the pain (pain, pain, pain)  
Sail through and empty night  
To only you and I, who understands there is no plan  
Get closer to the thrill  
Only time can kill, it's in your eyes  
so alive_

_And you don't feel the pain (pain, pain, pain)  
Sail through and empty night  
To only you and I, who understands there is no plan  
Get closer to the thrill  
Only time can kill, it's in your eyes  
so alive _

Jack stepped in, "No, I can light them. I can stay behind."

Phoebe rolled her eyes, "What are you? A saint? Stand back wolf boy, you and Leo are gonna survive this. We all are. But Piper, you will not stay behind alone to light these fuses, I'm going to stay with you."

Paige finally spoke again, "No. I'll be the one to stay. I can orb. Piper can light the fuses while holding the freeze on the little furry bastards. I'll wait on the roof of the elevator. She can run into the elevator as soon as she lights the last one and then I'll orb us to the top and then out of the building. And that's the only way it's going to happen."

"Do you care what your Whitelighter thinks?" Leo interrupted.

Piper eyed him suspiciously, "No. Leo, Paige is right, it's how it's going to play out. If anyone can get us out of here alive, it's Paige. So that's that. While I hold the freeze, you guys place a box on every side of this cavern. There's five boxes so leave out five sticks of dynamite."

"What are you going to do with those?" Phoebe asked through teeth clenched with worry.

"Don't worry about it, just get it done."

After Leo and Jack had placed the last box of dynamite against the solid rock wall, they came back to the elevator where the sisters were huddled together. Leo could hear them talking, trying not to say goodbye, but not missing the opportunity to say they loved one another either. He and Jack opened the elevator panel.

Jack turned to Paige, "There's so much I want to tell you, so much I want to be for you. So make it out, okay?"

Paige frowned, not sure she was ready for any kind of romance, or love. She simply nodded, not wanting to give him any reason to think she was prepared for his heart. Phoebe let him hug her, although the feeling was neither a comfort, nor a bother.

_Run through the speed of sound, nothing to slow you down  
The colors that surround (the colors surround)  
Are bleeding to one (are bleeding to one)  
Everything you really need, just a way to find the speed  
Is very well achieved  
Escape velocity_

Piper looked to Leo, her head titled to the side slightly as if in thought. He looked at her without a trace of smile, but in his eyes, she saw all the hurt and the pain her one night of lust with Thomas Riland had caused him.

"Leo? I'm sorry. I thought you were…"

"Dead? No, you knew I wasn't, but now's not the time. I'm going to fight for you Piper. I'm going to fight for you and I'm going to win you back, no matter what it takes."

Piper smiled and gently kissed Leo on the cheek, "Thank you."

Leo and Jack entered the elevator and disabled the door so that it would stay open. Leo wondered briefly where the Organizer was. But the thought disappeared as Jack pried open the ceiling door and lifted himself up through it. Leo followed and dropped his hand back down to help Phoebe up.

Phoebe glanced one more time at Piper and Paige. Paige looked so sweet and innocent with her copper hair falling haphazardly against the oversized button up dress shirt, the black slacks hanging loosely on her legs. And Piper was the epitome of a leader. The scar on her forehead was visible in the frozen light of the lit torches. Phoebe smiled and mouthed an "I love you" while giving her hand to Leo.

_Too much is not enough  
Nobody gave it up  
I'm not the kind, to lay down and die_

Adrenaline keeps me in the game  
Adrenaline, you don't even feel the pain  
Wilder, than your wildest dreams  
When your going to scream, you taste adrenaline

Piper watched as the slightest hint of blue light illuminated the elevator. She turned to Paige who was looking up at the frozen monsters.

"Ugly little things aren't they?"

Piper smiled, "Forgive me?"

"Huh?" Paige muttered as she looked into Piper's sorrowful brown eyes. "For what?

"For leaving you alone last night."

Paige shook her head, "I had Phoebe."

Piper frowned, "Oh."

"Piper, I'm getting better. I'm not healed, and I still need you to be my night guard, but I know now that you need a life of your own, a way to deal with what happened, not just to me, but to all of us. So forgive you? No, but only because there's nothing to forgive."

"I love you, Paige."

"Good, now let's get this party started before your freezing power wears off."

Paige took the lighter that Jack had given her. She noticed the inscription on it, "beskytter av den levende engelen".

"Weird," she muttered, before opening the silver lighter and lighting the ends of the five sticks of dynamite Piper was holding. Paige pocketed the lighter when she was finished and looked up at Piper expectantly.

"What? What are you waiting for Paige, get to the roof of the elevator now!" Piper yelled as she turned and began to throw the sticks one by one into each of the five boxes of dynamite. The fuses were running faster than Piper thought they would. She heard Paige scramble to the top of the elevator. Piper waited several more seconds before backing into the elevator, wanting to be sure the chupacabras stayed frozen as long as possible.

******************************

The gun was aimed directly at Phoebe's forehead. As soon as they had reappeared in the main building, the gun had been in place. The complete shock on her face was unhidden as she stared at the man on the other side of it.

"You're the organizer?" Phoebe asked, her voice barely louder than a breath of air.

"I hate nicknames. They never sound very vicious do they?" He pressed the gun even harder against her head.

Phoebe thought she heard Jack growl and realized it must have been her imagination. She heard Leo breathing deeply. She had somehow gotten several feet away from Leo and Jack. She knew that their enemy was the cause of all of this. Phoebe was confused.

"When did you become our enemy?"

He laughed and raised an eyebrow in contempt, "The minute Piper's lover boy Leo showed up."

"Oh my god, are you serious? What are you, like twelve?" Phoebe asked incredulously. "Piper loves Leo, she didn't love you, the end. No revenge necessary."

His grin faded as he pulled his face very close to Phoebe's, "Revenge is always necessary."

"Dan, put the gun down. We're all going to be toast in a matter of seconds if we don't get out of here now."

"Ah…Piper's using her brain I see…the dynamite? Yeah, I figured if she made it that far she'd use it. And I knew she'd sacrifice herself for your pathetic life. But you know…I didn't count on her keeping Paige with her. Sad. They'll both die quickly, the dynamite is rigged for early detonation…they'll never see it coming. But you, Phoebe, we're going to let you live, just so you can suffer their deaths."

"You're a sick bastard, Dan," Phoebe pressed her forehead toward the gun, daring Dan to shoot her.

He backed off enough for Phoebe to kick the gun out of his hand. Leo, Jack and Phoebe all scrambled for the gun along with Dan. A wrestling match of sorts began just as the floor began to shake and the lights flickered. A loud boom resounded through the elevator shaft.

Phoebe looked toward the empty space where Piper and Paige should be standing, they were not there. She looked to the men still shuffling for the gun. Two shots, one after another, rang out, followed by another loud explosion.

"We have to get out of here now!" Leo yelled out. Phoebe looked at him with panic and saw that he was kneeling on the floor between Jack and Dan, both with gunshot wounds.

_Adrenaline screaming out your name  
Adrenaline you don't even feel the pain  
Wilder than your wildest dreams  
When your going to scream, you taste adrenaline_

*****************************

Thomas Riland couldn't believe the noises he was hearing. Piper and Phoebe had been gone for awhile and now it felt and sounded as though the earth was dying. Several explosions resounded through the humid Miami night. He had waited by the car just as Piper had told him to.

He started toward the door of the warehouse when he was halted by a massive explosion that sent the warehouse into flames. Glass flew everywhere. Thomas hit the pavement, covering his head with his arms. He didn't know where Piper was or if anyone could have possibly survived the blast. He leaned his body against the car, looking, hoping, praying for at least one survivor.

_And you don't even feel the pain  
And you don't even feel the pain  
I'm going to scream  
There's nothing in between  
You don't even feel the pain  
You don't even feel the pain  
I'm going to scream  
(Always feel the pain)  
(Keep going til' I scream)  
(Nothing in between)  
(Keep going til' I scream)  
(Keep going til' I scream)  
(Nothing in between)  
You don't even feel the pain, feel the pain, feel the pain_


	13. Chapter 13

Angel Standing By  
[song by Jewel]

As the debris settled onto the pavement around him, Thomas immediately searched the surrounding area with his eyes. Before he could confirm or deny any survivors, blue orbs of light circling five feet away startled him. He had seen the same lights when Paige had disappeared from the trailer two days earlier.

He waited impatiently as the orbs finished forming. He didn't see Piper or Paige. Instead he saw Phoebe with two men he didn't recognize. He realized that one of the men was badly wounded and from his experience on the police force in New Orleans, he knew it was from a gun.

Thomas quickly took off his short sleeve button up shirt and was about to press it to the man's injury when the uninjured, blonde haired stranger pushed him out of the way. Thomas looked at him with anger.

"What are you doing? We need to apply pressure or he will…"

Thomas' statement was cut off as a soft amber light came from the man's hands and seemingly entered the wound on the man's chest. Within a minute the wounded man was completely healed and sitting up, taking deep breaths as he took in the sight around him.

"What in the hell was that?" Thomas asked looking at Phoebe.

Phoebe's mind was only on her sisters, "Did Paige and Piper appear here?"

Thomas only shook his head indicating that he had not seen Piper or Paige.

"Damn it! They have to be alive. They have to. I cannot live without my sisters," Phoebe stated matter-of-factly.

Leo pulled her into his arms and hugged her, "I'm sure they're alive."

Phoebe pulled away from him, not wanting comfort or reassurances, but actual proof, "Do you sense them?"

Leo shook his head no. Jack stood up after thinking over how Leo had healed him. He looked around the debris. Shaking his head, a horrified expression crossed his face.

"I can't sense Paige either."

Phoebe was taken aback by his admission, "What are you?"

Jack averted his eyes from Phoebe's glare, "It doesn't matter right now. We have to find her. And Piper."

Thomas was the only one not wrapped up in the supernatural radar, "What if they're dead? Where were they when the explosion happened?"

"Piper and Paige caused the explosion. They were in the caves setting off the TNT," Leo offered looking at Thomas as though he were the worst enemy on the face of the planet.

Thomas blinked in disbelief, "Caves? TNT? What in the hell did I miss?"

"Look, the chupacabras are dead, that's all you need to know. You were the one who set us up in the first place," Phoebe hissed.

Thomas looked surprised, "I didn't know this was going to happen," he said, gesturing toward the burning remains of the warehouse.

"I'm sure. Just like you seduced Piper and made her sleep with you," Leo responded, venom in his voice.

Thomas looked at Leo, "I didn't seduce anyone. She came to me. She wanted it. What business is it of yours anyway?"

Leo couldn't control himself, and despite the passive Whitelighter within, jealousy ensued. He punched Thomas hard in the jaw. Thomas fell to the pavement. He got up quickly and stared Leo in the eyes.

"I'm Piper's husband, and if you ever lay a hand on her again, I'll orb you to another dimension."

Phoebe was impressed with Leo's actions, but was frustrated nonetheless. She looked to Jack who seemed to be sniffing at the air. Phoebe felt as though idiots surrounded her. She looked to the burning debris and took inventory of her heart. She knew her sisters weren't dead. She could feel them, a connection of sorts, somewhere far away.

Piper could almost feel the heat beneath them as they orbed away from the warehouse. She had seen the fear and the panic in Paige's eyes as they had clasped hands and disappeared. As they reappeared, Piper felt the immediate sensation of her shoes being soaked in water. She looked at Paige. She still had her eyes closed. She could feel her sister's hand trembling in her own.

Piper looked at their surroundings. She had to look twice, still not believing where they had ended up. The darkness seeped through the weeping willows, the water was warm and ankle deep.

"Why?" Piper whispered turning her entire body to face Paige. Her feet splashed in the water.

Paige opened her brown eyes. Seeing what Piper had seen, her breath caught in her throat. She couldn't believe she had orbed them there. Then she realized that she hadn't orbed them there. She had thought of the trailer. And only the trailer.

Paige looked at Piper, "It wasn't me. I thought of the trailer, of you, of safety. I wouldn't orb us here. It in no way reminds me of safety."

Piper nodded, "The Elders?"

Paige was too afraid to even shrug at the offered explanation. She just continued to hold on to Piper's hand and Piper wasn't about to let go. Piper began to walk toward drier ground.

"I can't believe those stupid assholes would orb us here, to the swamps. Obviously they think we need to deal with it and I have a feeling we won't be able to leave here until we do."

Paige tried to orb, without success. Piper gave her an 'I told you so' look. Knowing what needed to be done, Piper and Paige trudged through the swamps of New Orleans until they came upon the shack Paige had been held in by Ben Caldwell. Paige trembled harder next to her oldest sister. Fear was an overwhelming emotion.

Piper took a deep breath. Sounds of the past invaded her ears. Her name being screamed into the night. Images of Paige, bruised, bleeding, alone…her heart broke and tears threatened to spill. She looked at Paige who remained completely silent.

"Talk to me Paige. Don't lose your voice again. Please. Use your voice this time, talk to me, tell me what you're feeling, what's hurting. Tell me that you blame me and that I should have been there in time. Tell me that please because having you admit it and hate me is better than wondering a million times a day how I could have done it differently, how I could have spared you all of this pain."

Piper was near sobbing now as she knelt before Paige. Paige looked down at her, her eyes wide with shock. The rims shimmered with unshed tears. She took in the sight of her oldest sister before her, on her knees begging for forgiveness. Paige shook her head and knelt down to come eye to eye with Piper.

"What was meant to be, Piper, was meant to be. I know that. All of this," she said, pointing to the shack, "was supposed to happen. It happened so that we could now be on a mission. Our jobs were done in San Francisco. It was all for the greater good, Piper."

Piper cried harder, "No, Paige. It wasn't for the greater good. You are a beautiful soul who never should have been hurt in that way. What greater good could it possibly serve?"

Tears slipped gently down Paige's cheeks, "Because it set the path we're on now. To save innocents across the country. That's the greater good."

"You were raped, Paige. Not once but twice. And I can't blame myself for the first time, although I can blame the Elders for that, for not protecting you, but here, in this place…I was responsible for you. I promised to protect you Paige. I promised I'd never let anyone hurt you again. And I failed."

"No one failed me, Piper. Damn it! The only person at fault is Ben Caldwell and he's dead, so can't we just accept what happened and move on?"

Piper's sobs faded and made room for a questioning look directed toward Paige, "Accept it? God. Paige, I can't accept that you were hurt, brutally so. How can you accept it?"

"I didn't say relish the fact, or love it, just accept that it happened so we can move on."

"Have you accepted that it happened? Have you talked about it? Really talked about it? Or is crying out in the middle of the night…the middle of every night enough for you? Because Paige, your mind was so overwhelmed by what happened that it shut your voice down for months…and now that you have it back…you are avoiding the topic as much as I was. Just say it Paige, say what you're feeling. Come on!"

Paige stood up and picked up a large rock lying near by. Piper looked at her with caution. Paige screamed out into the night while hurling the rock toward the shack. It crashed into the dry-rotted boards with a crunch. Paige turned back toward Piper, her face twisted in agony.

"What I can't accept, Piper, is that it keeps consuming us. Both of us. You're constantly in a state of self-blame and self-loathing. What do you think drove you to go to Thomas Riland last night? You want me to hate you Piper, but I could never hate you. You did nothing wrong. You have to accept that. You have to or it's going to drive us apart. I can't deal with your issues and mine at the same time. So we'll deal with yours first, because I need you to be strong for me. When I do finally deal with what happened head on…I'm going to need you, you and Phoebe, to be there for me. Can you accept that?"

***************

Phoebe was completely annoyed by the jealous stares being exchanged between Leo and Thomas. They had come back to the trailer, knowing that Piper and Paige would return there if they were safe. Phoebe's heart had sunk as she realized they weren't there. Jack was in Piper and Paige's room trying to connect with Paige. Phoebe had no idea what his trick was, or what his intentions were, but Jack had saved Paige more than once so Phoebe trusted him. Loup Garou and all.

She watched as Thomas and Leo traded vicious words. She was getting angrier by the second. She finally had enough.

"Thomas, leave now. You have no right or business being here. Go, and don't ever look back," her voice was stern and determined.

Thomas stared at her with cold hard eyes, "No. I will not leave until Piper gets back. I want to know she's safe."

Phoebe looked at Leo pleadingly, "Leo? Can you handle him?"

"My pleasure," Leo replied. He took Thomas' arm and orbed out with him. Phoebe nodded her head in satisfaction. She snuck back toward Piper and Paige's room, intent on finding out what Jack was doing. She liked Jack. And she could tell that Jack was devoted to Paige's safety. She watched as he laid one hand on Paige's journal and the other on his heart.

"Saying the Pledge of Paige?"

He looked up at Phoebe, startled, "Oh, I didn't read it. Sometimes it helps if I can have a hand on something of hers."

"Okay, Jack, what are you? I mean, why the keen interest in Paige? Why have you spent your life trying to save her?"

"Well, I haven't spent my whole life. Just the last few months, and back in college. I was born to protect her. And I'm doing very badly at it, I know."

"What do you mean you were born to protect her?" Phoebe asked intrigued.

"I can't tell you that, it's not for me to tell."

Phoebe narrowed her eyes, "Then who can tell me?"

"I don't know. Leo's back," he said changing the subject and indicating the light coming from outside the door.

Leo appeared, smiling. Phoebe looked at him and shook her head, "Where did you orb him?"

"I took him to Egypt. Dropped him off on top of a pyramid."

Phoebe laughed despite her worry, "Good, now you, Jack and I need to concentrate on my sisters. I know they're alive. I can feel it. But if you can't sense them then they're some place where magic is blocked, right?"

"The swamps," Jack interrupted, finally emerging from Piper and Paige's room.

"What?" Phoebe asked, her voice displaying her rising panic.

"The Elders must have orbed them there." Leo's tone was all business.

"Paige would never orb there willingly, that's for damn sure," Phoebe responded, her anger squelching her panic. "Leo, what do we do?"

Leo sat down on the couch and looked up at the middle sister and Jack, "We wait."

"We can't wait here, while they relive that time there. I should be there."

"No, Phoebe. The Elders must know that Paige and Piper need to resolve something that has been left unsaid, undone. When they are finished, when they are truly able to communicate those things, then they will be returned here. I know how the Elders work."

"Do they know you're here, Leo?"

"The Elders? I'm sure they do. They know everything. Did they instruct me to come here? No. I'm no longer an official Whitelighter."

Phoebe looked at him in confusion, "Then how do you still have your powers?"

"The rules have changed up there. A lot has changed since you guys went off their radars."

************

Piper sat on the ground of the bayou pulling Paige down with her. Paige did not fight the motion and fell into Piper's arms. She shivered in the damp air and curled herself up in Piper's arms. Piper rocked her momentarily, wanting nothing but to be sure Paige was always safe, warm and protected.

Paige pulled away slightly, "Piper?"

"I know, I know. What happened, it happened to you. I've been so busy pitying myself over failing you, that I haven't been there for you as much as I should have."

Paige sighed, tears rolling fervently onto her soft pale skin, "Piper, I didn't say that. You have been there for me. Who held me every night, never letting me be alone? It was you, the whole time you were the light in my dark. Don't you know that had it not been for you I wouldn't have survived at all. I remember being in the hospital room here in New Orleans, after it happened, and I focused on your face, and all I could see was pure love. I knew then and there that that was all that mattered. You and Phoebe. Everything else was cake."

"Even being raped?"

Paige hesitated, "Okay, maybe that wasn't cake. Maybe I've not even begun to deal with that, but what I'm trying to convey here is that I can eventually deal with it if I have you and Phoebe to help me."

Piper laid her chin on the top of Paige's head, "You always have us, Paige. Always. No matter what happens from now on, we have to promise each other to talk more. I mean, I know you haven't been able to talk in the last few months because of your voice, but I would like to know how you've been coping in all this time."

"You can read my journal. It's all there. And we will talk, the three of us."

Piper nodded against Paige's red hair and they continued to sit quietly until they were both surrounded by blue orbs.

_All through the night I'll be standing over you  
All through the night I'll be watching over you  
And through the bad dreams I'll be right there, baby  
Holding your hand, telling you everything is all right  
And when you cry I'll be right there  
Telling you you were never anything less than beautiful  
So don't you worry  
I'm your Angel standing by_

_Twilight:_  
_I was stained, with a role, in a day not my own  
But as you walked into my life you showed what needed to be shown  
And I always knew, what was right  
I just didn't know that I might  
Peel away and choose to see with such a different sight_

Phoebe paced nervously around the living room of the small trailer. She glanced a few times at Leo and Jack. They were both staring at the floor. Phoebe was ready to scream, but stopped when she noticed the reassuring blue orbs filling the space in the kitchen. She kept her eyes focused on the lights until finally her sisters appeared.

Piper and Paige were nearly knocked down by Phoebe as she embraced them in a tight hug. Paige smiled as she accepted Phoebe's gesture. The three sisters felt good. Their mission had been completed. The Chupacabras were destroyed and so was their enemy.

"Where's Thomas," Piper asked, breaking the momentary silence.

Phoebe failed to hide her smile, "He's alive, just out of the country for now."

Piper looked to Leo. He smiled and shrugged, "What? Phoebe asked me to get rid of him for a while."

Piper gave Phoebe a look of disdain, but then turned her attention to Paige who was shifting her eyes nervously away from Jack. It had been a long time since Paige had spent any time at all in a room with men and even though her sisters were there, she was nervous, and afraid.

Piper slipped her arm around Paige's waist and looked to Phoebe, "So, the chupacabras are all dead?"

"Yes. And so is Dan," Phoebe said, realizing that Piper had not seen who the Organizer was.

"Dan? As in Dan, Dan?" Her voice held only shock.

"He was the organizer," Phoebe's tone remained calm and matter-of-fact.

Piper stared incredulously at her sister and husband, "And he's dead?"

Phoebe thought for a second that Piper would cry for Dan. She nodded indicating that Dan was definitely dead.

Piper was silent momentarily before letting out a sigh, "Good riddance, he shouldn't have messed with us in the first place."

Phoebe nodded slowly, smiling, wrapping Piper and Paige in her arms once more, "I'm glad you guys are home."

Paige offered a half-hearted smile, "So are we, believe me."

Phoebe nodded looking down at Piper's wet shoes, "Swamps huh?"

Piper looked at Paige then Phoebe, "We can talk about it later. When it's just the three of us."

_And I will never see  
the sky the same way and  
I will learn to say good-bye to yesterday and  
I will never cease to fly if held down and  
I will always reach too high cause  
I've seen, cause I've seen, twilight _

Leo sensed their need to be alone, but he had business to tend to first, "There's some things I need to tell you and then I'll leave."

"Leave?" Piper asked unbelievingly.

"Well, not permanently. Just some things I'll have to take care of," his eyes looked cold, distant, "There's been a shift of power among the powers that be. Evil has managed to infiltrate the highest of the Elders."

Piper, Phoebe and Paige looked on in horror as Leo explained to them that the war between good and evil had grown larger than ever imagined and that it was all taking place in the Heavens. He relayed information concerning the changes in Whitelighters and Elders.

"We have no rules any longer. The Elders determined that the best way for good to win was to not live by rules any more. So they know where I am, but they have no way to stop me or revoke my powers."

"But Leo," Piper began, her voice growing weary, "If evil has taken over and the Elders know where you are, then doesn't it stand to reason that evil knows where you are as well?"

"I'm just a Whitelighter, not an Elder. Their powers are greater than mine, so evil won't look for me."

Phoebe was catching on to Piper's sentiment, "Maybe Leo, but you're the Whitelighter of the Charmed Ones. They may not look for you, but they'll be looking for us."

Leo paused as though he hadn't thought of it, "That's true. I can't be with you. They'll find you, hurt you."

Leo spoke directly to Piper as piper stared back at him, her eyes filled with longing. She hugged him tightly before letting him go. Stepping back in between her sisters she offered him a smile, and a look of hope.

"Leo, we can work a spell, to cover ourselves from evil. Now that we have our powers back it should work."

Leo shook his head sadly, "It won't matter, they'll find me, and then they'll know where you are. The only option is for me to disappear, find out from elsewhere what the new evil's weakness is and then send you the information secretly. Through a friend, or perhaps, encrypted."

"It's so very Alias," Phoebe snorted.

Jack had been quiet as he studied the faces of the three sisters. He noticed the look on Paige's face. He could tell she was still blaming herself for everything that had happened. His heart beat faster as he realized what he had to do.

"I can stay with them. I can be the messenger, the protector."

Piper looked taken aback and her feisty demeanor surfaced briefly in her sparkling brown eyes, "Protector?"

"What I mean is that I can be the server of the message."

"No," Phoebe added, "We can handle that through USA Today, personal columns."

She received odd stares from everyone in the room, "What? It's an old trick I saw once on a movie. It'll work. Leo can place an ad in USA Today and we can read it where ever we are."

Leo smiled, "I agree, it's brilliant."

"Jack," Paige finally spoke, "You can't go with us. My sisters and I, we have to move on, alone. You have to leave."

Jack looked at Paige as though his world had been shattered. He moved slowly to the door, his hand lingering briefly over his heart. Paige wanted to hug him, to thank him for everything, but she couldn't bring herself to move. Jack stopped at the front door and turned around.

"Paige, as long as I'm alive you'll never be alone," and with that, Jack Bijou exited her life for the third time.

_Never cared never Twilight  
Never sought to see what flaunted  
So on purpose so in my face  
Couldn't see beyond my own place  
And it was so easy not to behold what  
I could hold  
But you taught me I could change  
Whatever came within these shallow days_

Phoebe pulled Paige close, "How about you and I go to your room and start packing. Our job is done here, so I'm sure we'll be moving on soon."

Phoebe winked at Piper. She and Paige left the room giving Piper and Leo their privacy. Piper turned toward her husband, her eyes burning with the shame of her infidelity, his with pride. Piper knew they could never turn back. She knew that even if she had known Leo wasn't dead, they would have been at this crossroads, not knowing which step to take next.

"Leo. I can never express to you how sorry I am for being with him."

"You don't have to. On some levels I can understand," his eyes shimmered with tears.

"And on other levels?" she asked, not wanting to know the answer.

"And on others I want to scream at you, hate you, wish you away."

A single tear made its way to Piper's cheek, "Then scream at me, hate me, but Leo, I will never want to be away from you."

"I can't hate you, Piper, it's not in me to hate, and it's especially not in me to hate you," his voice was heavy with sadness.

"So what now? Where do we go from here?" Piper wanted to know what the future would hold, because not knowing was killing her.

"We defeat evil…again…and in the meantime, we work out our issues. Slowly, but surely."

Piper nodded and fell into Leo's arms. His embrace felt more secure than anything had ever felt before. She listened to his heart beating within his chest, letting each thump fall into rhythm with her own beat. She knew she wouldn't see him for a while, but she knew he would always be listening, watching, wanting to be with them. She kissed him passionately, letting her lips linger upon his. Then she felt the air on her face as Leo disappeared.

_And I will never see the sky the same way and  
I will learn to say good-bye to yesterday and  
I will never cease to fly if held down and  
I will always reach too high cause I've seen, cause  
I've seen twilight_

Phoebe looked at Paige as she folded up clothes and began stuffing them in suitcases. Her baby sister was shaking and she knew that it wasn't from relief.

"Paige, honey, what's wrong? Why are you shaking?"

Paige turned to Phoebe and then sat next to her on the bed, "I, um…I feel like talking."

Phoebe tried to hide her excitement that Paige was actually ready to talk to her about things, "What do you want to talk about sweetie?"

"Everything. And nothing. I don't know, Pheebs, I just…I can't seem to get an image out of my head, and it's not one I want there."

"An image of the past? Of the swamps?"

"No…an image of the look on Jack's face when he left. It's the same look, the same face he had when he helped me the first time, in college."

"So, what is it about him that's got you shaking, Paige?"

Paige shrugged leaning her head against Phoebe's shoulder, "I don't know Phoebe. I just know that he makes me uncomfortable. I don't think he would ever hurt me, but I'm not the best judge of character."

Phoebe draped her arm around Paige's back, "Paige, I think a lot of this has to do with the fact that he's in love with you. And that scares you more than you could ever admit."

Paige simply nodded, "I can never be in love again, Phoebe, because I could never be physically close to someone again."

Phoebe knew that with time, Paige would heal and would see that her statement was not true, but she decided that for the time being, it was an accurate fact. She looked at Paige's diary wanting to know what was in it, but refusing to break her sister's trust in that manner.

"I'll read it to you, maybe on our way to our next mission. I'll read it to you."

Phoebe replied, "It's up to you Paige. We're ready to know when you're ready to share."

_As the sun shines through it pushes away and pushes ahead  
It fills the warmth of blue and leaves a chill instead  
And I didn't know that I could be so blind to all that is so real  
But as illusion dies I see there is so much to be revealed_

*******************************

Sand was a continuous barrage to his eyes as he made his way slowly to the tourist parking lot. He thanked the Heavens that Leo had dropped him off at one of the busiest attractions in Egypt. He didn't need a tour guide to reveal to him that he was thousands of miles away from America, and Piper. He had managed to climb down the pyramid without hurting himself. Thomas Riland was angry.

As he stopped at a payphone in the parking lot he dialed 0 and was connected to the operator. After some time distinguishing languages the phone began to ring. His heart fluttered in relief as a man answered the phone.

"This better be good if you're calling me on my personal cell phone," the man said.

"Oh, it's good," Thomas said, his voice conveying his impatience.

"Thomas Riland? I knew I would hear form you again. Are those girls dead?"

"No, they're alive. I don't know how but they are. I want another chance."

"Fine. You can have another chance. Where are you? I'll have someone pick you up."

Thomas looked around and sighed, "I'm in Egypt."

The morning sun was warm and inviting. Paige sat in the middle of the front seat of the Plymouth Fury. She opened her journal and laid it on her lap, ready to read its first entry to her sisters. Piper was driving; Phoebe was in the passenger seat. Paige liked being in between them. It was comforting and safe, and as she glanced at all the luggage piled up in the backseat, she knew it was convenient.

She closed her eyes and then opened them again, happy to know that they were leaving Miami, leaving the Chupacabras behind them. Terrified and excited by whatever monster lay before them. She began to read out loud from her journal.

_I can't believe that it's been three weeks since we left New Orleans. I feel as though it's been forever, and I feel as though it were only yesterday. Every single night has been filled with nightmares, shadows looming near, the manor exploding, Leo gone. My only reason for living lies in Piper and Phoebe. Piper has been my guardian. Every night she holds me and it's the only reprieve from the darkness that I know. Phoebe…Phoebe is my heart. She keeps on living for me, being strong and determined that we will not fall because of the wrong done against us. My sisters are my soul. And as long as they are with me, then I know that my soul is safe._

Paige stopped reading to wipe away a tear on her cheek. She hadn't realized how emotional reading her journal would be. But Phoebe's head was resting on her shoulder and Piper was listening patiently, she knew she could get through it.

Before reading on, Paige looked up as they passed a road sign, "Pipe…where we going?"

Phoebe raised her head and smiled, "Somewhere good and cold I hope."

Piper smiled, her brown eyes sparkling behind her sunglasses, "Well, I figured we'd try to tackle something a little less dangerous, maybe have some fun."

"Well, cut the mystery sis, where are we heading?" Phoebe asked her smile beaming.

Piper nudged Paige and laughed, "We're heading north, to the mountains, somewhere in Virginia. I was doing some Internet research last night, trying to figure out where we can go next. Seems as though some local mountain people up there are having trouble with some little buggers."

"What kind of little buggers?" Paige asked warily.

"They live in the mountains and are mischievous little things. Not normally deadly, but they've been known to cause fatal accidents," Piper said as though quoting straight from reading material.

"What are they called?" Phoebe asked.

"The Yunwi Djitsu."

"Couldn't you have picked something with a nice normal-sounding name?" Phoebe asked trying to pronounce the name Piper had given them.

Piper shrugged and nodded to Paige. Paige picked up her journal and began reading again. The girls were almost okay…they were broken, even sad, but they had each other, and with that they knew they could survive the things to come.

_And I will never see the sky the same way and  
I will learn to say good-bye to yesterday and  
I will never cease to fly if held down and  
I will always reach too high cause I've seen, cause I've seen,  
twilight  
_

_  
I was stained, by a role, in a day not my own  
But as you walked into my life you showed what needed to be shown  
And I always knew, what was right  
I just didn't know that I might  
Peel away and choose to see with such a different sight  
_

_  
And I will never see the sky the same way and  
I will learn to say good-bye to yesterday and  
I will never cease to fly if held down and  
I will always reach too high cause I've seen, cause I've seen,  
twilight..._

THE END


End file.
